Utkala (Viraja annexed)

Utkala is the old name of Odisha, and the peeth is placed within the Puri Jagannath complex, where the navel of Sati is said to have fallen. The goddess is Vimla and the Bhairava is Jagannath. Tradition adds that Viraja is annexed to it, which refers to the alternative tradition of Jajpur, whose goddess Biraja is also said to hold the navel. The two traditions together show how Odisha preserves two close traditions.

Vimla's shrine stands inside the precincts of the great Jagannath temple, and an interesting feature of Odia tradition is that the food offered to Jagannath is considered complete only after it has been offered to Vimla, which makes it mahaprasad. This custom, as reported in local accounts, shows how closely the Vaishnava and Shakta streams are woven together in Puri. The Bhairava being named Jagannath is the clearest sign of this union, as the lord of the world is treated as the guardian of the goddess.

Some Shakta writers see Jagannath himself as a Tantric deity, and the Odia understanding of the whole complex is more inclusive than strict sectarian lines. The Daksha yajna story gives the origin, but at Puri the focus shifts to the continuity of festival, offering and community. As the lists in the Tantra Chudamani and Pithanirnaya vary, the placing of the navel in Puri or Jajpur is a matter of local loyalty and not of settled doctrine.