HISTORICAL GEOGRAPHY OF KALINGA

                                   HISTORICAL GEOGRAPHY OF KALINGA

                                         Author: Jimuta Naik, M.Phil(History)

Introduction

                         To understand the events of history of a country, a through knowledge of geography is essential without getting acquainted with the precise location of various places which figure prominently in the texts, it is impossible to  follow the course of events in any extent. Orissa consisted in ancient time several Janapadas and Mahajanapadas. The identification of these Janapadas and Mahajanapadas. The Identification of these Janapadas and Mahajanapadas is a prerequisite to study of cultural, political and religious history of this land properly. In course of our study we have made an attempt to delineate the geographical jurisdiction of several Janapadas that lie within ancient Orissa. The major Janapadas are Kalinga, Tosala, Utkala, Odra, South Kosala, Kangoda, Trikalinga, etc.

                                                        In the historical geography of ancient Orissa, Kalinga was regarded as one of the most important Janapadas and it had also played a significant role in the history of India through the ages. The geographical boundary of this territory was never a static one throughout the ancient period. But originally it was a small territory bordering on the Bay of Bengal by South Orissa and north Andhra. Its power was felt for and wide and its empire for sometimes embraced almost the whole of traditional Orissa as well as India,

                                                         The Puranic literature presents an interesting account about the origin of the Kalinga. The fifth in the line of Titiksu was king Bali who was blessed with five sons according to a story described in the Puranas and the Mahabharata.It is said that a blind Rsi named Dirghatamas who had been expelled from the hermitage because of gross immortality with the wife of his uncle (fathers brother) had been sheltered by king Bali who was childless. Queen Sudeshna at the request of her husband Bali gave birth to five sons in Union with Dirghatamas by the law of levirate. These sons were given the names of Anga, Vanga, Kalinga, Pundra and Sumha and were described as Baleya Brahmanas or Baleya Khsatriyas . Bali divided his kingdom among his sons and the territories they obtained came to be known after their names. In this way Kalinga was named after its king .

                                                           On the other hand Kalingas are mentioned as a tribe in a number of ancient Indian literature, sacred and secular which apparently indicates that the country was known after the people. The Kalingas as a tribe and their capital city Dantapura are referred to in the oldest Sanskrit Buddhist Text, Mahavastu and also in several Jatakas. A Jain tradition of a remote period groups the Kalingas in to a class of the eastern Aryans. In Padma Purana Kalingas are mentioned twice; once with the Budhas, the Madras, the Kukuras and the Dasarnas, and again in the same chapter with the Drosaks, the Kiratas, the Tomaras and the Karabhanjakas. The Markandeya Purana refereed the Kalingas along with the Pulindas, Abhiras, Andhras, Vidrabhas and Kuntalas. In the Harivamsa we find them associated with the Pundras.

                                                      In Adi Parva and Santi Parva of Mahabharata, it is stated the Kalingas were defeated at different times by Sahadeva, Krishna, Bhima, Sikhandi, Jayadratha, Karna and Dronacharya. The king of Kalingsa who invited to joint the Bharata war on the side of Pandavas, but instead he joined on the side of Kauravas. In this war the King of Kalingas is said to have been fought with Arjuna, Bhima, Satyaki, Abhimanyu, Drurstadyumna and Nakula.

                                                   The Kalingas also found in secular literatures. They are referred to in the Arthasasthra of Kautilya and the Astadhyayi of Panini. The classical Greek writers have left valuable account regarding Kalinga and its people. Pliny specially mentioned the Kalinga tribe and their capital at Parthalis. There are many indigenous and foreign sources which describe about Kalingas. With all these references we can say with certainty that the Kalingas were an ancient tribe having a well developed society and an independent kingdom which was named after them.

Traditional boundary of Kalinga

                                                                  In ancient time the Kalingas had established an empire which had embraced almost the whole of traditional Orissa. The extent of this empire can be determined by analyzing different source materials. The Mahabharata indicates that Kalinga had extended upto the mouth of Ganges. In the Tirtha Yatra section of Vanaparva, the sage Lomasa stood on the mouth of the Ganges and pointed out to Yudhisthira saying “This is the territory of the Kalingas where flows the river Vaitarani”. B.C. law and D.C. Sircar interpret the verse in a defferent ways and suggest that the epic Kalinga comprised the eastern coast from the river Vaitarni to the mouth Godavari in Andhra. But in the verse of the epic the Vaitarani is clearly mentioned as a river following in the territory of Kaligna and not as its boundary line. From this verse we known that the river Ganges is the northern boundary of Kalinga.

                                                             Regarding the north boundary of Kalinga is corroborated in the works of early Greek writers Meghathenes. He refers to a territory called Gangaridum Calinarum Regia and states that the river Ganges was its north eastern boundary. Pliny gives a clear picture of Kalinga territory which he divides into three parts namely Gangarides Calingae, Macco Calingae and Calingae with only one capital at Parthalis. Gangarides Calingae which is apparently same as Gangaridum Calingarum region identified the region on the bank of the Ganges near its mouth. Macco Calingae probably identified in the middle or central Kalinga empire comprising Utkala, Odra and Tosali region. Calingae was no doubt properly the home land of Kalinga people.

                                                                   Pliny suggests that the southern boundary of Kalinga was Cape Calingae identified by Yule with point Godavari at the mouth of Godavari river. The Mahabharata refers that the capital of Kalinga was. Dantapura, identified with Dandagula of Pliny who locates it about 570 miles to the south of the Ganges mouth. All these shows that Kalinga at the height of its glory had extended from the Ganges in the north to the Godavari in the south.

                                                              To determine the western extent of Kalinga., we have to rely on the evidences of the Puranas. The Puranas like Markendeya, Brahmanda and Vamsa, locates Kalinga in southern India or Dakshinapath. The Brahma  Purana places it in Madhyadesa. But the Matsya Purana describes Kalinga was both in Dakshinapatha and Madhyadesa and points out that the river Narmada drains the Amanataka, situated in the western part of Kalinga. The Kurma Purana locates kalinga in the south but includes the inland territory as far as Amarkantaka with its boundary. The Vayu and Skanda Purana also places the Amarkantaka on the western side of Kalinga. A critical studies of these evidences we believe that Kalinga was originally a country in Dakshinapatha, but it had established an empire extending to Madhyadesa. Above four Puraqnas locates Amarkantaka on the eastern side of Kalinga which suggesting that the hill formed the western boundary of the country. From the above we may concludes to say that Kalinga in its ancient time extended form the mouth of Ganges is the north to the mouth of the river Godavari in the south and from Bay of Bengal in the east to the Amakantaka hill in the Vandhya  range in the west.

Change the territorial extent of Kalinga from time to time:

                                                                    Due to the political instability territorial geographical extent of Kalinga kingdom change time to time and most probably from the end of the Bharata war to the foundation of the Nanda rule, the Kingdom of Kalinga was comes under the hands of 32 Kshatriya kings. Here i highlight the geographical extent of Kalinga under the supervision of Nanda rule to the time of Suryavamsi Gajapatis and the advent of Mughals in Orissa.

The boundary of Kalinga under the Nandas

                                                                                        Line no. 5 in the Hatigumpha inscription of Kharavela mentions  the name of Nandaraja. It states that Kharavela extended an aqueduct that had been excavated by king Nandaraja in 4^th century B.C.E. Again lien No. 12 describes that Kharavela defeated a king of Magadha and brought back the Kalinga Jina image which had been taken away by Nanda king during his conquering to Kalinga. This inscription reveals that Kalinga was conquered by Mahapadmananda and it was annexed with Magadhan Empire^.

                                                               Historian like R.K. Mukheerji, opines that Mahapadmananda conquered only a part of Kalinga and it was Ashoka who subjugated the whole of Kalinga. This view was not accepted by several modern scholars. In general, it is known from Puranas that Mahapadmananda conquered not only a part of Kalinga but also Assaka which lay to the South West of Kalinganagari the capital city of Kalinga conquered by Mahapadmananda. The entire territory came under the

 rule of Mahapadmananda. During the time of Nanda rule the whole Kalinga from the Ganges to the Godavari was annexed with the Magadhan empire. Kalinga under the Mauryas After the fall of Nanda rule Kalinga assertion her independence. Pliny indicates that Kalinga had extended from the mouth of the Ganges to  the mouth of the Godavari in 261 B.C.E when Ashoka conquered it. The great emperor Ashoka reorganized the Kalinga territory. He incorporated the Gangetic region of North Kalinga with the province of Praci or Gangaridae came under the direct control. The middle Kalinga or Macco Kalinga (Utkala, Odra, and Tosali region formed a separate unit and Tosali its head quarters. The south portion of Kalinga formed another administrative unit with Sampa as its headquarters. This view was supported by the separate rock edicts of Ashoka engraved on the Dhauli near Tosali and on the Jaugarh near Somapa. Thus, Kalinga under Mauryan period was constituted in between the whole of Chilika lake and the river Godavari.

Kalinga Under Attavikas

                                                The separate Kalinga edicts of Ashoka at Jaugarh provide information about the Attavikas. The forest clad territory on the west of Kalinga identified with Kalingaranya. This region probably a part of Dandakaranya and comprises the present Koraput and Bastar region. This area have been mentioned as Vidhyadhara territory in Hatigumpha inscription, Mahakantara region in Allahabad Prasasti of Samudragupta and original kingdoms of Nalas of Orissa. It was very close to Kalinga and later on known as Trikalinga or high upland of Kalinga.

Kalinga under Sungas and Kanvas

                                                                 After the Kalinga war, the benevotelent administration of Ashoka and the spread of Budhism might have impact among the people of Kalinga. The coup of pushyamitra Sunga in 185 B.C. E Kalinga not so powerful. During this period Kalinga was subordinate by Sungas and Kanvas. The group of Pushyamitra Sunga perhaps could not make stable in Kalinga.

Kalinga under the Mahameghavahanas or Chedis

                                                                                                          In the first century B.C.E. after the fall of Sungas and Kanvas, there emerged two powers namely the Satavahans in Maharashtra and the Mahameghanavanas in Kalinga. Line No. 1 and No. 3 of the Hatigumpha inscription mentioned Kharavela was the son of Chetaraja, belongs to the 3^rd generation of Mahameghavahana dynasty. The Hatigumpha inscription also reveals that territorial boundary of Kalinga under Kharavela had extended from Mathura in the North to the Pandya kingdom in the south and from the territories of Rathikas and Bhojakas of Maharashtra region in the west. During the time of Kahavela the traditional boundary of Kalinga region extended from the Ganges mouth to the mouth of the Godavari. After Kharavela we could not found any territorial evidences of Kalinga under his dynasty.

Kalinga under the Satavahanas

                                                             After Kharavela, in the first quarter of second century C.E. Kalinga was comes under the hands of Gautamiputra Satakarni. It is mentioned that, Kharavela had crushed the Satavahana power and it is Satakarni who rose in to power and conquered the Kalinga territories. From the Nasik cave inscription it is known that Satakarni has been described as the lord of Mountains like the Vindhyas, the Rksavat, Paripatra or Pariyatra, Sahya, Krishnagiri, Malaya, Mahendra and Svetagiri. Scholars believed that Krishnagiri has been referred  in the Ganjam copper plate chatter of the Sailodbhava king Madhavavarman. It is situated near Nirmalajhara in the ex-estate of Khalikote on the north eastern part of Ganjam district. Mountain Malaya is identified with Malayagiri near Pallahara of Dhenkanal district. Mount Mahendra is situated in Ganjam district and it is mentioned as Kula Parvata in many literary and epigraphical records⁹. The identification of Svetagiri is the modern Srikurman or Srikkakulam district of Andhra Pradesh. From the above all identifications of the mountains it is said that Kalinga territory was amalgamated in the Satavahana dynasty during the reign of Satakarni.

Kalinga under the Eve of Samudragupta

                                                                                    The fall of Satavahana empire, the  territorial extent of Kalinga became  in obscurity till the conquered of Samundragupta. The Dathadhatuvamsa of the Ceylonese account mentioned that Guhasiva was a feudatory of Magadha flourished in Kalinga during circa 300 C.E. and a contemporary of the Ceylonese king Mahasena (277 – 304 C.E.). After the death of Guhasiva, Kalinga territory was divided into a number of small independent states and we could not found any unity among them. This situation of kalinga facilitated the invasion of Samudragupta, which mentioned in the Allahabad pillar inscription. In the south campaign Samudragupta conquered the territories namely south Kosala comprised the Raipur-Bilaspur district of Madhya Pradesh, Mahakantara located in Bastar-Koraput region. After these territories he marched towards the Kalinga and defeated Mantaraja of Korala, identified with a modern village named Karada on the boarder of Koraput close to the Srikakulam district on the bank of the Nagavali. In this way there was no severing power in Kalinga as existed in early period. From the Allahabad inscription we knew that Samudragupta also captured the Kalinga.

Kalinga under the Matharas

                                                             After Samudragupta the Matharas (350 – 500 C.E.) ruled over Kalinga from Sripura which has been identified with Vatia Sripura near the town Parlakhamundi. The first king of the family known as Visakhavarman who issued a copper plate grant, donates to the village Topoyakagrama. The find spot of the grant is one mile from Vatia Sirpura and eight miles from Parlakhemudi. Some of the Matharas rulers mentioned that, they were the master of Kalinga. The second ruler of the dynasty Umavarman issued Barang and Dhavalapeta copper plate grants from Sungara and also Tekkali grants from Vardhamanpura. All these grants show that during the time of Umavarman, Kalinga kingdom extended form the mount Mahendra to the river Godavari^.

                                                          During the time of Saktivarman (400 C.E.) the Mathara kingdom rise to the height of glory. He issued the Ragolu plates from Pistapura, where he mentioned Pistapura was donated to a Brahmana. The Ningondi copper plate grant of Prabhanjanavarman reveals that during the time of Saktivarman the territory of Kalinga kingdom extended form river Mahanadi in the north to the river Krishna in the south. Marathas power began to decline in the 5^th century C.E. The Matharas issued 15 seats of copper plate grants and these grants mentioned about the territorial extent of Kalinga during their time.

Kalinga under the Vasisthas

                                                       After Matharas, the Vasisthas captured the Kalinga and assumed the title of Kalingadhipati. There were only three rulers of this dynasty namely Maharaja Gunavarman, his son Maharaja Prabhanjanavarman and third is Maharaja Anantavarman. Particularly in Srungvarapukota copper plate grants of Anantavarman, we know that king Gunavarman was described as lord of Kalinga. During the Vasisthas the Kalinga Kingdom was extended up to the river Godavari.

Kalinga under the Eastern Ganges

                                                                  The downfall of Vasisthas, led the rise of eastern Ganges and Kalinga empire comes under their supervision. Probably Harisena of Vakataka destroyed the Nalas and seems to have placed his Ganga general Indravarman in change of the Nala territories comprises modern Bastar, Koraput region which was known as Trikalinga. After that Indravarman tried to extend his kingdom towards the south. G. Ramdas identifies the ancient capital of Kalinga with the Dantapura. Hastivarman, the third ruler of eastern. Ganga dynasty, extended his territory from the mount Mahendra upto the Rusikulya and assumed the title of Trikalingadhipati^.

Kalinga under the Suryavamsi Gajapatis and Mughals

                                                                                                            During the time of 10^th century C.E. Kalinga falls in the hands of Suryavamsi Gajapati dynasty. This time Kalinga designated as a Dandapata. A large number of inscriptions were found in this dynasty from Simhacalam and Srikurman which are stated that Kalinga Dandapata continued as a fiscal division even during the rule of the Mughals in Orissa¹³. The revenue settlement or bandobast introduced by Todar Mal in 1582 divided Orissa into five Sarkars namely (i) Jaleswar Sarkar from the river Rupanarayan to Valanga (2) Bhadrak Sarkar from the Valanga to Brahmani, (3) Kataka Sarkar from the Brahmani to Chilika lake (4) Kalinga-Dandapata from the Chilika lake to Rusikulya and (5) Rajmahendri Sarkar from Risikulya to Godavari. In 1571 Kalinga – Dandapata had been merged with Golkonda under the Qutab Sahi and the glorious territory of Kalinga kingdom now came to an end by forever.

Conclusion

                     From the above all discussion it is fairly known that from the ancient time to the dawn of medieval period the name Kalinga assumed most important history of Orissa. Because without its vat empire and its political dignity why the foreigners write about this land and why the great emperors of ancient India like Samudragupta, Ashoka and Satakarni undertook their expedition towards this territory. From this point of view I can concluse to say that Kalinga in ancient time assumed a vast territorial extent and its power was spread almost all over the ancient India. But it is clear that when the powerful ruler ruled over Kalinga they annexed many other territories with Kalinga empire and its geographical extent became vast and when the weak rulers ruled over it, suddenly its territorial extent falls in to narrow. Thus the Kalinga empire falls in the hands of many rulers and its territorial extent also depends upon their power and strength. The territorial extent of Kalinga known as from many ancient religious as well as secular sources. Geographical boundaries of this territory was never a static one, some times it receive large extent of territory and sometimes it reduced to a small principality. From the Nandas rule to the advent of Mughals it embracing much geographical dignities. Thus it can be conclude to say that Kalinga was an ancient name of present Orissa which in ancient time organized a vast territorial extent from the mouth of Ganges in the north to the mouth of river Godavari in the south and from Bay of Bengal in the east to Amarkantaka hill in the west.

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