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Goddess Pistapuri or Pistapurikidevi — a Note

By Dilip Kumar Biswas

Vol. 21 · No. 2June - 1945pp. 139–140English

Summary

This note analyses the figure Pistapuri (or Pistapurikidevi) mentioned in the Khoh copper‑plate inscriptions. Scholars debated whether Pistapuri referred to a place or a goddess. The author argues that Pistapuri is a local deity of Pistapura, identified with modern Pithapuram. He notes that ancient Indian coins and inscriptions often name deities after the places they protect, such as Rudradi of Bhadravati and Nandisvara of Nandigrama. Similarly, Pistapuri‑devi means ‘the goddess of Pistapura’. Recognising her as a local goddess explains why her name appears in land grants: kings invoked local deities to legitimise donations. The note thus clarifies that Pistapuri is not a generic epithet but a specific tutelary goddess, illustrating how regional deities were integrated into broader Hindu worship.

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Conclusion

By interpreting Pistapuri‑devi as the tutelary goddess of Pistapura, the note clarifies that the name refers to a local deity linked to modern Pithapuram. This explains the presence of her name in copper‑plate grants and highlights how ancient rulers invoked local gods to legitimise their authority.

Key passages

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  • “The Khoh Copper plate inscription of the Maharaja Samksova, of the year 209 in the Gupta era (i.e. A.D. 528-29) mentions a 8૦તત- ess possessing a ૦૫૪1૦૫8 name.i.e. ‘‘Pistapuri.”’?”
  • “Fleet has rightly pointed out that Pistapuri or Pistapurikadevi must be “દે local name of some more famous and original goddess of Pistapura itself.”””
  • “The probable answer to this question is that a body of inhabitants of Pistapura might have immigrated from the south to the territory in Central India—ruled over by these feudatories, and some of them might have started the worship there, of the local goddess of their native place, Pistapura.”

Works cited in this article

  1. Fleet—Gupta Inscriptions, no. 25, p. 114
  2. Fleet—Gupta Inscriptions, no. 29, p. 131
  3. Fleet—Gupta Inscriptions, no. 1, p. 7
  4. Raichaudhuri, Political History of Ancient India, (4th ed.) r. 450
  5. Banerjea, Hindu Iconography, pp. 163, 280

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In this issue

Vol. 21 · No. 2
79–85The Age of the Bagh CavesV. V. Mirashi86–90Some unorthodox marriages in the family of YaduNalinaksha Dutt91–97Bengali Scholars at Benares (1657 A.D.)Dinesh Chandra Bhattacharya98–100Rulers of AnhilvadaK. Madhava Krishna Sharma101–104Administration of Justice in Aurangzeb’s TimeSri Ram Sharma105–117The North-East Frontier Policy of Sir John Lawrence (1864-1868)Dharm Pal118–123The Nirukta and the Theory of TransmigrationH. G. Narahari124–134Monopoly of Grain during the Bengal & Bihar Famine of 1770Nani Gopal Chaudhari135–136Jahangir’s Relations with the SikhsAnil Chandra Banerjee136–137Political Status of the Sakyas of KapilavastuU. N. Ghoshal137–138Bhumara Stone Pillar Inscription of the time of the Imperial GuptasDhirendra Chandra Ganguly139–140Goddess Pistapuri or Pistapurikidevi — a NoteDilip Kumar BiswasCurrent article141–143The Puranas on the Imperial GuptasDhirendra Chandra Ganguly143–144Asvamedhas celebrated by the Kings of KamarupaDineshchandra Sircar145–147SamvatsarapradipaDinesh Chandra Bhattacharya148–152ReviewsSushil Kumar De, Nalinaksha Dutt, Mano Mohan Ghosh, Indubhusan Banerjee153–157Select Contents of Oriental Journals158–162Obituary Notice – Jean PrzyluskiMarcelle Lalou

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