Utkala Deśa is the sacred region on the eastern shore of Bhārata. It holds Purushottama Kshetra and Nīlācala hill. It matches the old land of present-day Odisha (Orissa) on the eastern coast of India.

The Skanda Mahā Purāṇa names Utkala as the land of the Śabara people, the homeland of Viśvāvasu. It is also the place where the whole narrative of Indradyumna and Jagannātha is set. The position of the kshetra on the eastern shore, where land meets ocean, is part of its sacred nature. The Tīrtharāja, the eastern ocean, is itself part of the kshetra.

Where it lies

In the Purāṇa, Utkala is the coastal region where Nīlācala hill rises near the eastern ocean (Mahāsāgara). The Śabara people, who live in the forests of this region, are the first keepers of the sacred place. Viśvāvasu stands for them. (Skanda Mahā Purāṇa, Vaishṇava Khaṇḍa, Purushottama Kshetra Māhātmya, Chapters 1, 7)

Its place in the narrative

King Indradyumna first heard of a secret divine form worshipped in Utkala. He sent Vidyāpati to the region to find it. Utkala was therefore the land that kept the secret of Nīla Mādhava. It became the land where the eternal dāru mūrti (wooden image) of Bhagavān Jagannātha would be installed. The region’s name is bound for ever to its role as the kshetra of Purushottama. (Chapters 7, 10)

Sacred character

The Purāṇa shows Utkala Deśa as made sacred by the Purushottama Kshetra within it. A person who travels to Utkala to reach Purushottama begins to gather the merit (puṇya) of the kshetra from the moment he enters the borders of the deśa. (Chapter 1)

Sources

Skanda Mahā Purāṇa, Vaishṇava Khaṇḍa, Purushottama Kshetra Māhātmya, Chapters 1, 7, 10