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 4th 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 3rd 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 5th 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
10th 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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