Ekāmra Kshetra is the chief Śaiva tīrtha of the Utkala region on the eastern coast of Bhārata-varsha. It is the sacred city known today as Bhubaneswar, with the Liṅgarāja temple at its centre. The Brahma Mahā Purāṇa tells that Bhagavān Vishṇu himself directed Bhagavān Śiva to make his lasting seat at Ekāmra, as guardian of the Purushottama region. The Skanda Mahā Purāṇa gives the account that leads up to this direction.

Name and place

Ekāmra Kshetra is centred on the Liṅgarāja temple. The name comes from the tradition of a single āmra (mango) tree, beneath which the presiding Śiva-liṅga of the kshetra was self-manifested or first worshipped. Bhubaneswar, which holds the Liṅgarāja temple, has long been known for the great number of its Śiva shrines, and it carries this sacred centre on to the present day. The Brahma Mahā Purāṇa speaks of it in Chapter 41.

Bhagavān Vishṇu’s direction to Bhagavān Śiva

The Brahma Mahā Purāṇa tells how Ekāmra began. After a sequence of events that settled the relation between Bhagavān Śiva’s protecting presence and Bhagavān Vishṇu’s supreme domain, Bhagavān Vishṇu directed Bhagavān Śiva to take his lasting seat at Ekāmra, as guardian of the Purushottama region. Ekāmra thus guards the supreme Vaishṇava kshetra. Bhagavān Śiva at Ekāmra and Bhagavān Vishṇu at Purushottama stand together in the sacred land of Utkala (Chapter 41).

The Skanda Purāṇa account

The Purushottama Kshetra Māhātmya of the Skanda Mahā Purāṇa (Chapter 12) gives the events that led to Bhagavān Śiva settling at Ekāmra.

In the account of Bhagavān Śiva and Vārāṇasī, the Kāśī-rāja (king of Kāśī) had a vara (boon) of protection against Bhagavān Kṛshṇa.
The Sudarśana cakra of Bhagavān Kṛshṇa burned the city. Bhagavān Śiva sent his Pāśupatāstra against it. The weapons met, and the Pāśupatāstra was overpowered.
Bhagavān Śiva knew then the supremacy of Bhagavān Vishṇu and offered him a heartfelt stotra (hymn of praise).
Bhagavān Vishṇu accepted it with grace. He directed Bhagavān Śiva to settle at Ekāmra, near Purushottama, as its eternal guardian.
At Ekāmra, Bhagavān Vishṇu also blessed king Indradyumna through the Kotilingeśvara, the liṅga linked with the founding of the kshetra as the guardian site.

The three kshetras of Utkala

The Utkala region has three sacred kshetras in a row. Each belongs to one of the three great streams of Sanātana Dharma.

Ekāmra Kshetra (Bhubaneswar) is the Śaiva centre, with Liṅgarāja as its presiding mūrti.
Viraja Kshetra (Jājpur) is the Śākta centre, with Viraja Devī as its presiding devī.
Purushottama Kshetra (Purī) is the Vaishṇava centre, with Bhagavān Jagannātha as its supreme mūrti.

The Brahma Mahā Purāṇa speaks of Ekāmra (Chapter 41) and Viraja (Chapter 42) one after the other, before its long Purushottama Kshetra Māhātmya (Chapters 44 to 178). In these three, Bhagavān Śiva, Śakti and Bhagavān Vishṇu each have their supreme home, with Purushottama at the highest place (Chapters 41 to 44).

Bhagavān Śiva within Purushottama Kshetra

The Skanda Mahā Purāṇa also shows Bhagavān Śiva within the sacred land of Purushottama Kshetra itself, as several liṅgas inside its boundary. These include the Kapālamocana liṅga and the Yameśvara liṅga (Chapter 4). So Bhagavān Śiva is at Ekāmra as Śiva’s abode outside, near Purushottama, and also as the liṅgas within Purushottama (Chapters 4 and 12).

Sources

Brahma Mahā Purāṇa, Chapter 41 (also Chapters 42 and 44 to 178 for the sequence of kshetras)
Skanda Mahā Purāṇa, Vaishṇava Khaṇḍa, Purushottama Kshetra Māhātmya, Chapters 4 and 12