Aminchand’s Safarnama

Summary

Munshi Aminchand sahib, resident of Punjab…. As requested by the Aristotle of the Age, Janab Robert Curst sahib bahadur Printed at the Nur Press, Lahore, under the direction of Manager Pandit Surajbhan, 1859 [second edition]

Next comes the city of Cuttack, which is very ancient and well known. I describe it now. This city has no equal in all the land of Orissa. There is a cantonment here. One famous place, located in the center of town, is the building housing a footprint of the Prophet. It is located very close to the jail. The courthouses are located on the shores of the Katchori [Kathajori] River. Commissioner sahib’s mansion is located beside the Mahan River. It is situated such that it can be seen from afar. The city is something like an island, for the Mahan flows to the north and the Katchori to the south. The Katchori splits from the Mahan upriver from the town but the two join together again downstream. This means that no matter which way you go in town, you will have to cross a river. They say that in the rainy season these rivers have huge floods, with the water sometimes even flowing into the city itself. This is why, when the Marathas ruled here, they built a barrier along the Katchori that still exists today. After Cuttack comes Balanta, which is along the banks of the Katchori. Until here, the road is excellent and lined on both sides by mango trees. After three kos comes the Balkhani River. There is a village here called Bamsami. From here a road goes west to the holy place of Bhuvaneshwar Maharaj. I went there to take a darshan. I will describe it now. The name of this god is Ling Raj. He is called Bhuvan-ishwar because [he is] prithvi ka ishar, meaning Lord of the World. There is a large tank near this temple for ritual bathing. The temple here is exactly like that of Sri Jaganath-ji. The Brahmins here say that in the forests for five kos all around the temple there are kota-kot, meaning, crores of deities.