'OR CUTTACK. 265 



Orissa by the Carna Emperors of Behar, prior to the accession of the Guja- 

 patis ; but it would obviously be easy enough to imagine a space for the 

 occurrence of such a revolution, in some of those chasms of upwards of a 

 century's duration, which intervene between many of the early reigns. 



No information whatever is afforded as to the origin and pedigree of the 

 Princes called the Kesari Vansa or Kesari Bans. The founder of the new 

 dynasty was Jajati (Yayati) Kesari, a warlike and energetic prince, but who 

 lie was or whence he came we are not apprized. He soon cleared his do- 

 minions of the Yavanas who then retired to their own country. His Court 

 was held at Jajepur where he built a palace (Nour) and castle, called Chou- 

 dwar, or the mansion with four gates. The most important event of his 

 time was the recovery of the image and the restoration of the worship of 

 Jagannath. Directed by certain omens and supernatural appearances, he 

 proceeded to the Purushottem Khetr to institute enquiries regarding the idol 

 and the temple, when the brahmins of the place informed him that a tradi- 

 tion existed amongst them of Sri Jeo (Jagannath) having been carried off, up- 

 wards of a century and a half before, to Sonepur Gopalli, on the invasion of 

 a person called Rakta Bahu, where the form had ever since remained con- 

 cealed from mortal eyes. This intelligence induced the Raja to make a 

 visit to the jungles of Sonepur. Miraculously guided, he discovered after 

 some search the place where Sri Jeo had been buried, cuts down the ber 

 or banyan tree which overshadowed the sacred spot, and finds the image or 

 images encased in a stone vault, much decayed and disfigured. His next 

 care was to search out the Dytapatis and Shewaks, or officiating priests, 

 descended from those who formerly fled from Pari, and having discovered 

 several of them in the Rattenpur country, he consulted with them how the 

 worship of Jagannath should be revived in all its ancient splendour. The 

 formation of a new image being considered an indispensible preliminary, the 

 priests proceeded into the woods to look for a proper dam or piece of tim- 

 ber, and having found one with all the requisite qualities indicated by the 



Hh 



