The modern Orissa passed under the names of Kalinga, Utkal. and Or*dradesa through different period of times. 'Orissa' is derived

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2 INTRODUCTION The modern Orissa passed under the names of Kalinga, Utkal and Or*dradesa through different period of times. 'Orissa' is derived from 'Udra' or 'Odra' or ' odraka1' and its people feel proud to remember the names of Kalinga and Utkal for the past glory of their ancestors. The Jaina and Buddhist literature reveal that Kalinga was an established political entity connected with the main streams of socio-religious life during 6th century B.C. After Buddha attained Parinirvana at Kusinara, the monk Khema Thera brought the Lord's Tooth Relic from that place to Kalinga. Imperial Nandas tried to unite adjoining territories of their empire. Mahapadma Nanda, the most powerful ruler of the dynasty had tried to bring Kalinga within his political domain. From Hatigumpha inscription, it is found that Nanda Raja dug a canal near Tanasuli in Kalinga which was extended by Kharavela later on. He had also taken away Kalinga Jina from Kalinga, and Kharavela could bring back the image from Magadha during his reign2. The influence of Nanda Kings was short-lived and successors of Mahapadma Nanda were weak. During the time of Chandragupta Maurya, Kalinga was an independent state. From Meghasthenes account, it is very clear that Kalinga was very powerful state with a strong elephant force and was the neighbour of Magadha. Although, both Chandragupta and Bimbisara were very strong rulers and great conquerors, they did not dare to annex Kalinga to their empire. But Asoka who was master of India excepting a few states could venture to go against kalinga as he was backed by a great empire.

3 Secondly, his access to south could be possible if Kalinga was conquered. Lastly, for expansion of maritime activities of Magadha, conquer of Kalinga was a necessity. The result of Kalinga war which was fought in 261 B.C. near Dhauli was very decisive. Kalingans were lastly defeated. The consequence of Kalinga war was a turning point in the political and religious history of mankind. The horrors of the war completely changed Asoka. He renounced war and adopted the gospel of Buddha. He patronised peace and non-violence, human brotherhood and welfare of men. Asoka treated his subjects as his children. He issued instructions through several rock edicts to his officers, governors and subjects. Those were the directives for the benefits of his subjects living in villages and forests. Two of his edicts are found at Dhauli near Bhubaneswar and Jaugada in the District of Ganjam. The monarch had special favour towards Kalingans. Asoka who was a benevolent despot could establish a paternal administration. He declared in his Kalinga edict that "All men are my children. Just as in regard to my o^n children, I desire that they may be provided with all kinds of welfare and happiness in this world and in the next, the same X desire also in regard to all men... The greatest of the monarchs not only propagated dharma and morality in India but in outside. Buddhism became the force of civilisation, and the religion attracted people all over the world. her independence. The Mauryan empire declined after Asoka and Kalinga regained 2

4 After Maurya, the dynasty which came to power was famous as Chedi or Cheti or Aira. The rulers of the dynasty assumed the title of Mahameghavahana or the rider of the mighty clouds. One of the greatest monarchs of the dynasty was Kharavela who had left an immortal record of his rule in the Hatigumpha inscription on the rock of Udayagiri near Bhubaneswar. Another inscription of Mahameghavanana dynasty has been recently discovered near Guntupally which corroborates the conquests of Kharavela. Kharavela was the third king of the dynasty ruling in 1st century B.C. He had carved out a far flung empire with Kalinga Nagari as his capital. The inscription he has left clearly gives vivid description of his reign and the society of the period. He was educated in bekha, 'Rupa, (jjanana, yyavahara and Vidhi. At the age of fifteen, he became the crown prince and at twenty four, he was enthroned as the king. He had reconstructed the capital Kalinga Nagari at a cost of Rs.85 Lakhs of coins. In subsequent years, he entertained his subjects by arranging dances, music and songs etc. He had renovated and extended the canal dug of Nanda King. He was the ideals of ancient Hindu\ monarchs by performing all the best he could for his subjects. Kharavala fought against and conquered Satakarni of Satavahana dynasty, Rashtrikas and Bhajakas. He had occupied most of the parts of Deccan and his empire had extended up to^rishna. He had ^ also conquered the confederacy of the Cholas, Pandyas, Satyaputras and Keralaputras and the rulers of Tachura Parnni. In the North, he had conquered Yavanaraja Dimita< and penetrated into Mathura. He had conquered Raj agriha also. After his victory of the North, the King had erected a gigantic palace of victory. 3

5 In his 12th regnal year, Kharavala invaded Kings of Uttara Pattha. Bruhaspati Mitra, the monarch of Magadha had submitted to the invader who fought back the image of Kalinga Jina as trophy which Nanda Raja had carried away from Kalinga long ago. Thus, from Eastern to Western coast, from Mathura to the Pandya Kingdom in South, authority of Kharavala was extended. In the age of political disintegration, Kharavala's attempt to unite large part of India was very successful. After his 12th regnal year, Kharavala perhaps renounced being influenced by the Jainism. He patronised Jainism and became a staunch Jaina monarch. On the top of Kumari Hill, he had constructed a number of caves for Jaina Sramanas. The caves of Khandagiri and Udayagiri still bear the testimony of the construction activities of Kharavala. After 13th reignal year, no activities of Kharavala are found in the inscription. The circumstances under which the empire of Kharavala disappeared is not Jtnovn. But although, the rule of Kharavala was short-lived, he gave Kalinga a glorious epoch of her ancient history. After Kharavala till second half of 4th century A.D, the darkness evolved in the history of Orissa. Some scholars have inferred that Satavahanas, Kushanas and Murandas had ruled dynasties which are found in different parts of Orissa. The transfer of Tooth Relic of Lord Buddha took place in the first decade of 4th Century A.D and the Ceylonese description of Kc^inga gives some historical proof. As per the

6 Buddhist source, King Guhasiva was ruling Kalinga in the last quarter of 3rd Century A.D and was a contemporary of King Mahasena of Ceylone. It is inferred that political stability of Kalinga declined after King Guhasiva due to external aggressions and several small Kingdoms emerged instead of a united Kalinga. When Samudragupta led his campaign towards South, he had to fight with different small Kingdoms situated in the western and south western parts of Orissa. They were the rulers like Mahendra of Kosala, Vyaghraraja of Mahakantara, Maharaja of Kurala, Mahendragiri of Pisthapur, Swamidutta of Kottura, Damana of Erandapalli and Kuvera of Devarasthra. / Towards the end of 4th century A.D, a powerful dynasty ruled over the land stretching from Mahanadi to Godavari. The rule extended to a portion.of Southern Orissa. It was the dynasty of the Matharas. They styled themselves as Maharajas and some as Kalingadhipatis. A large number of copper plate grants of the dynasty found in different parts of Orissa reveal the various achievements of Mathara Kings. The rule covered for about 150 years from the middle of the 4th century A.D to the end,of 5th century A.D. The notable Kings of Matharas were Visakhavarman, Umavarman, Santikaravarman, Santivarman, Anantavarman, Prabhanjanavarman, Chandravarman, Wanda Prabhanjanavarman, They patronised Sanskrit literature. The Bhagavata cult came into prominence during the period. The Buddhism continued to dominate the religious life of a section of people while Brahminical revival in religious and cultural life of the subjects were noticed during the Mathara rule. After Matharas, some dynasties ruled over different small Kingdoms of Orissa and were not so important. They were the Vasistha, Mudgala, Abhaya, Vigraha, Nala and Mana 5

7 The early Gangas of Kalinga were ruling in South Orissa from 496 A.D to middle of 8th century A.D with Kalinga Nagar as their Capital. Kalinga Nagar is identified with modem Mukhalingam district by the scholars. From the inscriptions, it appears that they were using the title Trikalingadhipati. But identification of Trikalinga is a matter of controversy. The classical age (Bharatiya Vidyabhavan) names Indravarman I as the first king of the dynasty. With the advent of 7th century A.D, the history of Orissa took a different turn. Sailodbhava dynasty ruled over Kangoda, roughly comprising the present Ganj am and Puri Districts. The name 'Sailodbhava' literary means one who was born from a mountain and some scholars are of opinion, that the dynasty may be a branch of Ganga family. Others are of the view, that the Sailodbhava,. may probably be a branch of Saila Dynasty ruling over a part of Madhya Pradesh. However, the origin of Sailodbhava is obscure. The rulers of this dynasty were Ranabhita, Sainyabhita, Ayasobhita, Sainyabhita,- Madhava varman (Raja) ll^t Allaparaja and Madhyamaraja. The Sailodbhavas were famous in history for patronisation of trade and commerce in overseas countries. From the ports of Pallur, Ganjam, Kalinga Nagar, Charitra, the Kalinganas were carrying on trade with Burma, Malayasia, Siam, Kambodia, Java, Bali, Borneo, Sumatra and other places of Suvarnadvipa. Taking advantages of the trade and commerce link, the Sailobhavas could establish the great sailendra empire in Suvarnnadvipa. The Sailodbhava dynasty ended in Kangoda in 7th century A.D but in 8th and 9th century, the empire of Kalinga ruled over by Sailodbhavas flourished greatly in Suvarnnadvipa. In 8th century, the next significant chapter in the history of Orissa began during the rules of Bhaumakara and Somavamsi dynasties. 6

8 The later Bhaumakaras and early Somavamsis were ruling over Utkal portion and Kosala portion simultaneously and were contemporaries. But later on, the Bhaumakaras yielded place to Somavamsis. In the evolution of the State of Orissa, the Bhauma-Somavamsi period is indeed a remarkable epoch which continued for four hundred years from 8th to 11th century A.D. The famous rulers of the Bhaumakara dynasty were Subhakara Deva, Santikara Deva, Santikara Deva-II, Santikara Deva-III, Tribhuvana Mahadevi-I, Prithvi Mahadevi alias Tribhuvana Mahadevi-Il etc. They were proficient both in art of warfare and administration. During this period, literature flourished greatly. King Subhakara Deva I had written a religious book and had sent Prajna to the Chinese emperor Tet-Song with the text, Prajna a learned scholar studied at Nalanda spent so many years at China and translated Indian scriptures to Chinese language. During the period. University of Puspagiri had flourished in Orissa and Sanskrit was the dominating language of the age. From the fag end of 9th century' to the last part of 11th century, the Somavamsi dynasty ruled over Orissa and raised it to a definite political entity. The famous kings of the Soma dynasty were Janmejaya Mahabhava Gupta I, Yayati Mahasivagupta I, Yayati II, UdyQta Kesari Mahabhavagupta IV and Janmejaya II etc. The kings were proud of using Kesari with their nameg, The Somas or Kesaris were very powerful and benevolent despots. Yayati united Kalinga, Kangoda, Kosala nad utkal into one powerful state. He had also conquered Gurjara, Kanchi, Gauda etc. 7

9 The Kesaris were Saivas and had constructed a good number of temples especialy at Bhubaneswar. They had performed Asvamedha Sacrifice at Jajpur by engaging ten thousand Jyrahmins brought from Kanauj. The great temple of Lingaraj was the contribution of Soma dynasty. The Kesharis were succeeded by Gangas. Since, 1st.century A.D, the Gangas had been settling in the South. The branch of Gangas which continued to live in Orissa is known as Eastern Gangas. In 5th century A.D, the Eastern Gangas were ruling over Trikalinga region of Kalinga. Their history is obscure till 10th century A.D. In 11th century A.D, when the Somavamsi dynasty declined, the Gangas began to rise into prominence in the Southern region of Orissa. Ananta Varman Chodagangadeva united whole of Kalinga with its boundary in between Ganges to Godavari. The dynasty continued its administration for three centuries and heightened the prestige of Orissa as the strongest state in India against continuous Muslim unslaughts from different corners. Fifteen Ganga Kings had ruled over Orissa being Ananta Varman Chodagangadeva and Narasimhadeva I, the most dynamic rulers and warriors. The Gangas were versatile in all respects. They were not only empire builders but also great administrators, patrons of art, architecture and literature. Present Jagannath^temple at Puri and Sun temple at Konark are the remarkable contributions of the Gangas which speak the glory of the prosperous Ganga era. During the first quarter of 14th century, India witnessed the fall of big empires and on their ruins, rise of small principalities. 8

10 The Sultans of Delhi became masters of India due to collapse of all Hindu Kingdoms i.e. the Yadavas, the Kakatiyas, the Pandyas and the Hayasalas. The small Hindu Kingdoms of Gulbarg, Rakakonda, Kondavidu and Vijayanagar were engaged in intercine wars for extension of their old Kingdoms. A similar type of disruption was noticed in Kalinga ruled over by the Gangas. The downfall of the empire began from the reign of Bhanudeva II (1306 A.D to 1327 A.D). Ullagh Khan penetrated up to Jajpur. No significant event occurred during the reign of Narasimhadeva III (1327 A.D to 1353 A.D), the son of BhanudeviLll. He was succeeded by his son Bhanudeva III who ruled over Kalinga for 26 years from 1353 A.D to 1378 A.D and Kalinga fell in to prey of foreigners and small kingdoms declared themselves independentt and annexed adjacent portions in their Kingdoms. Vijayanagara, Gulbarg and rulers of Kondavidu tried to take advantage of the weakness of the ruler Bhanudeva III. He was succeeded by his son Narasimhadeva IV who ruled from 1378 A.D to 1409 A.D. No remarkable events occured during this period. He was succeeded by his son Bhanudeva IV (1409 A.D to 1434 A.D), who was the last heir of the famous Gangs dynasty. The king was succumbed to surrender to the enemy and he had no peace at all. While busy in battles in the south for a long period, his throne was usurped by Kapilendra in a successful coup. Bhanudeva hurried back to his- kingdom to suppress the revolt but was in vain. According to Gangavamsanucharitam Champu, Bhanudeva being failed to regain his empire, car\-ed out a small principality at Gudarikataka identified with Vanarasa in the Parlakhemundi sub-division in the District of Gajapati and passed his last days at the place. The usurpation of Ganga throne by Kapilendradeva in 1435 A.D gave an end to the Ganga period which is the longest in the Orissan dynastic history and gave, way to a new dynasty. 9

11 NOTES AND REFERENCES Panigrahi, Dr-. K.C. ; History of. Orissa (Hindu Period), P.:7, Kitab Mahal, Cuttack, Hatigumpha Inscription, Lines 6 to 12 as quoted by Dr. H.K. Mahatab in History of Orissa Vol.l Prajatahtra Prachara Samiti, Cuttack, 1959 at P.61. Separate Kalinga Rock Edict, No.I as quoted by Dr. H.K. Mahatab in History of Orissa, Vol-I, Prajatantra Prachar Samiti, Cuttack, 1959 at P43. The word 'Dimita' is now completely obliterated on thd body of the Hatigumpha inscription read by earlier scholars, K.P. Jayaswal and several others identified 'Dimita' with the Indo-Greek ruler Demetrius. Ganfuli, D.K. : Historical Geography and Dynastic History of Orissa, P.177, Punthi Pustak, Calcutta, Somayaji, V. Ratha. : Gangavamsanucharitam Champu, J.O.S.M. Manuscript, Cat.No.536.