Satya Mandira is the name given to the holy city of Dharmāraṇya after it was rebuilt. The Skanda Mahā Purāṇa tells of this in its Dharmāraṇya Khaṇḍa. The name means “the abode of truth”.

The city was destroyed in Tretā Yuga by the rākshasa Lolajihva. After Bhagavān Vishṇu slew him, the brāhmaṇas and vāṇikas (merchants) returned and rebuilt it. Four sacred installations stand in its four directions, and many tīrthas, liṅgas, Śaktis and kuladevatās (family devatās) are established within it.

Origin of the name

The first holy city of Dharmāraṇya was founded when Dharma performed tapas (austerity) and Bhagavān Śiva named the place. Lolajihva destroyed it in Tretā Yuga. Bhagavān Vishṇu slew him, and the brāhmaṇas and vāṇikas came back and rebuilt the city.

The city was now founded again on dharma and truth. So the community named it Satya Mandira, the temple of truth, or the abode of the Satya (the eternal). Dharmāraṇya and Satya Mandira are two names for the same sacred city. (Skanda Mahā Purāṇa, Brahma Khaṇḍa, Dharmāraṇya Khaṇḍa, Pūrvārdha, Chapter 11)

Sacred layout

Satya Mandira was built with a prākāra-maṇḍala (a complex of enclosing walls), royal paths with toraṇas (gateways) and flags, and a central residential area for the brāhmaṇas. The four directions held the main divine presences:

East: Dharmeśvara, the liṅga of Bhagavān Śiva set up by Dharma.
South: Gaṇādhipati (Gaṇeśa), set up by the devas who had gathered.
West: Bhānu, also called Bakulārka (Bhagavān Sūrya).
North: Svayambhū, the self-manifested presence of Bhagavān Vishṇu.

Other sacred places in the city are the Dharma Vāpī, the Indreśvara liṅga, the Jayantīśvara liṅga, the Mukteśvara liṅga, the Devavarma tīrtha and the Dharā kshetra. Each is linked to the tapas or the vara (boon) of one deva. (Skanda Mahā Purāṇa, Brahma Khaṇḍa, Dharmāraṇya Khaṇḍa, Pūrvārdha, Chapters 11–20)

Protective Śaktis

The kājeśas (merchant-rulers) of Satya Mandira set up protective Śaktis in the main and in-between directions of the city. They guard it against attack by daityas and rākshasas. The Śaktis named are Ānanda Śakti in the east, Śāntā Devī in the south and Chatraja in the west.

The supreme kuladevatā Śrīmātā is set up in the inner part of the city as the mother of all the brahmin families. Later the daitya Karṇāṭaka threatened the city. Śrīmātā then brought forth Mātaṅgī, and Mātaṅgī slew him. (Skanda Mahā Purāṇa, Brahma Khaṇḍa, Dharmāraṇya Khaṇḍa, Pūrvārdha, Chapters 16–18)

Sources

Skanda Mahā Purāṇa, Brahma Khaṇḍa, Dharmāraṇya Khaṇḍa, Pūrvārdha, Chapters 11–12
Skanda Mahā Purāṇa, Brahma Khaṇḍa, Dharmāraṇya Khaṇḍa, Pūrvārdha, Chapters 11–20 (sacred layout)
Skanda Mahā Purāṇa, Brahma Khaṇḍa, Dharmāraṇya Khaṇḍa, Pūrvārdha, Chapters 16–18 (protective Śaktis)