151 
1871.] An Account of the Antiquities of Jdjpur in Orisd . 
misfortune befalls the ill-fated couple. The nephew of Baritria 
marches with seven hundred men to obtain the parrot and Talinga 
bullock. A battle ensues ou the banks of the Grerua, where Laika 
is killed. His death is, however, avenged by his widow, who 
having slain his nephew in battle, burns his body as well as that of 
her husband on the funeral pile which she had erected on the banks 
of the river. 
An Account of the Antiquities of Jdjpur in Orisd.—By Ba'bu Chandra- 
s'eioiara BanurjT, Deputy Magistrate , Tamluk. 
The following short account of Jajpur was written just before I 
left Orisa. Although several valuable papers have already been writ¬ 
ten on the antiquities of the place, there yet remains much to be 
added regarding the temples and traditions to which Europeans 
cannot have easy access. I have, therefore, taken my stand on a some¬ 
what different ground, and have written the account from a purely 
local point of view, preserving traditions which the future historian 
may find interesting. 
The earliest account of Jajpur is commensurate with the ear¬ 
liest authentic history of the province. The first of the Kes'ari 
Vahsa Baja of Orisa, Yajati Kes'ari, who reigned about the 
year 473, A. D., held his court at Jajpur, where he built a castle 
and palace called the chauduar , or ‘ the mansion with four gates.’ 
The true name of the town, I should suppose, was ‘ Yajatipur,’ 
or the city of Yajati ; the present corruption being by no 
means inconsistent with the genius of the Uriya tongue or its 
hasty pronunciation.* The received account, however, on which 
the religious portion of the people put great faith, traces the 
name to ‘ Yajnapura’ or the spot where, in ancient times, 
Brahma performed the great sacrifice, or ‘Yajna’ on which the 
sanctity of the place is founded. Whatever might have been the 
origin of the name, there can be no doubt that Jajpur was the 
* Since writing the above I have read Cunningham’s * Ancient Geography 
of India,’ in which it is said: “ In the early part of the 6cli century, Raja 
Jajati Keshai’i established a new capital at ‘ Jajatipur’ on the Vaitarani 
river, which still exists under the abbreviated name of Jajipura j” p. 512. 
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