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As regards the place of composition of the Brahma Purana, it should be stated that just as the whole Br, P. does not seem to have been composed by one hand and in one period similarly it does not seem to have been composed at one place. The then busy centres of religious activities were The chief perhaps the locale of the puranas compilations. places of pilgrimage were often thronged by a large number of people from all parts of India and were the best venue for the propagation of this literature. From the detailed glorification of certain places, we may venture to conjecture that a 50 particular version of the Purana sprang up in that centre. Many chapters of the Brahma Purana as stated above, correspond to those of the other Purana, therefore, the place of the composition of those chapters could be decided along with the decision of the place of composition of those other Puranas. From among the remaining chapters it is clear that the 50 Dikshitar V.R.R., Op.Cit., Vol.I, Introduction, P. XV.

46 86 Gautamimahatnya was composed by somebody living about the river Godavari, since it betrays close acquaintance with the minor tirthas situated on the bank of the river Godavari. Similarly the chs. 28-70 and 176-178 on the holy places of Orissa also form one group and seem to have been composed by one who is well acquainted with Orissa. Chapter 25 gives a long list of the names of holy places chiefly of northern India.. Though, it mentions the viraja-ksetra and the Indradyamna - saras; the names of Purusottama-ksetra and Ekamraksetra are conspicuous by their absence. Moreover, this chapter is wholly unconnected with those preceding and following So it seems to have been interpolated by someone living outside Orissa.51 The remaining chapters are not important from the point of view of fixing the place of composition in as much as they deal with the general religious topics like karama-vipaka (216-218, 223-225), Hells (214-215), worship of Visnu (226-229), accounts of the dvapara and the future ages (231), there are verses forming introduction of some topics (1. 1-207, 26, 27, 1-10, 235) and forming the concluding chapter of the whole Purana (245). it. In chapter 27.43, it is stated that the place to the north of Sahya where flows the Godavari is the most charming place in the whole world. This is in the beginning of Brahma's speech and it shows his predilection of that spot. The work Hazra R.C., Op. Cit., P. 152. 51

47 87 may have been written here.