In ancient times, Odisha (Orissa) was known as Kalinga. It was a major seafaring nation that controlled and traded with most of the sea routes in the Bay of Bengal. For several centuries, a substantial part of South Asia & Southeast Asia was under its cultural influence. The temple at Angkor Wat is a fine example of Orissan-influenced Indian architecture. Some parts of Southern and South Eastern Asia such as Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Java, Sumatra, Bali, Vietnam and Thailand were colonized by people from Orissa. In Malaysia, Indians are still referred as Klings because of this. Many illustrious Sri Lankan kings such as Nisanka Malla and Parakarama Bahu claim Kalinga origin. The king who destroyed the Sinhalese Buddhist control of Northern Sri Lanka and established a Hindu Kingdom in Jaffna was known as Kalinga Magha. One theory holds that the name of the country "Siam" for Thailand is derived from Oriya/Sanskrit Shyamadesha. The Angkor Wat in Cambodia is Orissan, with local variations. Bali in Indonesia still retains its Orissan-influenced Hindu heritage.
Mahapadmananda of Nanda Dynasty who ascended the throne of Magadha in 362 B. C. conquered and instituted Kalinga to his extensive empire. Although Kalinga lost her independence, she became economically prosperous under the Nanda rule. Mahapadmananda undertook irrigation projects to eradicate famine condition in Kalinga. The pre-Mauryan black polished potteries and punch-marked coins having four symbols found in plenty from Asurgarh in Kalahandi district and Sonapur in Bolangir district indicate the flourishing economic condition during the time of the Nanda rule.
After Mahapadmananda his eight sons ruled one after the other and the last Nanda king was overthrown by Chandragupta Maurya who found the Maurya empire in Magadha. During the time of Chandragupta’s rebellion against the last Nanda king, Kalinga declared herself independent and tried to build her strength as an overseas power.
A major turning point in world history took place around 261 B.C. when the Mauryan emperor Asoka, invaded Kalinga, which is famously known as Kalinga war. Ashoka's military campaign against Kalinga was one of the bloodiest in Mauryan history on account of the fearless and heroic resistance offered by the people of Kalinga to the mighty armies of the expanding Mauryan empire. Though Asoka succeeded in occupying Kalinga but he could not the bear the horrendous slaughter caused by the war and therefore took up the path of non-violence and become the follower of Buddhism. Later on, Asoka was instrumental in spreading Buddhist philosophy all over Asia.
Perhaps on the account of Kalinga's unexpected bravery, emperor Ashoka was compelled to issue two edicts specifically calling for a just and benign administration in Kalinga. Kalinga became one of the administrative provisions in the empire of Magadha with headquarters of a Kumara (Viceroy) located at Tosali. The second headquarters was at Samapa where a high executive officer called Rajavachanika was stationed. Tosali was also the headquarters of the highest judiciary authority of the province.
Asoka aimed at a benevolent administration with a well organized bureaucracy and vigorously worked for the consolidation of the Maurya rule in the newly conquered province. Buddhism spared over Kalinga under his patronage and became the State religion while the art of stone masonry developed to a great extent. Edicts were engraved on the Dhauli and Jaugada (this is a fort made of Jau by the King of Utkal. Situated beside the Village Nuagaon in Ganjam District, Orissa is about 40 KM away from Silk City Berhampur) rocks to inculcate his administration and religious principles to the people. Asoka died in 232 B.C. and the Maurya empire lasted up to 185 B.C.
In the early past of the 1 st century B.C. Kalinga became independent under the Chedi Chief Mahameghavana. The third ruler of this dynasty was Kharavela who flourished during the second half of the 1 st century B.C. The Hatigumpha inscription in Udayagiri near Bhubaneswar furnishes detailed accounts about the life and activities of Kharavela from his boyhood to his 13th reigning year.
- Reigning year 1-5 : In the first year of his coronation he repaired the gates and ramparts of his capital Kalinganagari which had been damaged by cyclone. In the second year he invaded the territory of the Satavahana king Satakarni I and marching up to the river Krishna stormed the city of Asika. In the 3rd year of his reign he organized various performances of dance and music and delighted the people of Kalinganagari. In the fourth year he again invaded the Satavahana kingdom and extended his political supremacy over the region. In the fifth year he is known to have renovated the aqueduct that was originally excavated three hundred years back by Mahapadmananda.
- Reigning year 6-10 : In the sixth year he remitted taxes and gave benevolences both in urban and rural areas of his kingdom. The account of his seventh year is not known. But that year his chief queen-“The Queen of the Diamond Palace” gave birth to a son. In his eighth regnal year he led a military expedition against Rajagriha. By that time the Indo-Greeks who were in possession of Mathura were advancing towards Pataliputra but getting the news of the triumph of Kharavela at Rajagriha the Yavana king had to retreat to Mathura. Kharavela pursued the Indo-Greeks and purged them out of Mathura which was an important seat of Jain religion and culture. In commemoration of this achievement he built a victory palace in Kalinga at a cost of thirty-eight hundred thousand penas during the ninth year of his reign. In the tenth regnal year he again invaded northern India the account of which is not clearly known.
- Reigning year 11-13 : In the eleventh year of his reign Kharavela defeated the Tamil confederacy which was in existence thirteen hundred years before his time. In the twelfth year he invaded northern India for the third time and advanced as far as Uttarapatha, “north-western part of India”. On his return he terrorized Maghadha. Brihaspati Mitra, the king of Magadha surrendered and Kharavela brought from Magadha the statue of Kalinga Jina as trophy of his victory along with rich treasures. Kalinga Jina was the statue of Rishabhanatha, which had been taken away from Kalinga by Mahapadmananda three hundred years back and its restoration was considered to be a great achievement of Kharavela. In his thirteenth reigning year Kharavela excavated a number of cave-dwellings in the Kumari hills for the Jain monks and bestowed endowments for them. Jainism greatly flourished in Kalinga under the sincere patronage of Kharavela. He was also extending liberal patronage towards other religious communities and earned great reputation as the worshiper of all religious orders and the repairers of all religious shrines. It is he who was built the superb monastic caves at Udayagiri and Khandagiri.
The Hatigumpha inscription records the activities of Kharavela up to his thirteenth regnal year after which nothing is known about him. He was probably succeeded by his son Kudepasiri. The Mahameghavahana dynasty continued to rule over Kalinga and Mahishaka up to the 1 st century A.D.
Subsequently, the kingdom was ruled under various monarchs, such as Samudragupta and Sasanka. It also was a part of Harsha's empire. In 795 AD, the king Yayati united Kalinga, Kosala and Utkala into a single empire. He also rebuilt the famous Jagannath temple at Puri. King Narasimha Dev is reputed to have built the magnificent Sun Temple in Konark. Although now largely in ruins, the temple may have rivaled the Taj Mahal in splendour.
The Satavahanas and the Murundas
The Satavahana king Goutamiputra Satakarni ruled Kalinga early in the second century. According to some scholars, Mahrarja Rajadhiraja Dharmadamadhara's gold coin was found from Sisupalgarh excavation who is considered as a Jaina king belonging to Murunda family which ruled over parts of Bihar and Orissa. The Bhadrak stone inscription of Maharaja Ganabhadra datable to the third century AD also indicates the rule of the Murundas in Orissa.
Thereafter the Murundas of Kalinga were conquered by the rising Naga dynasties of Kausambi, Ahichhatra, Padmavati and Vindhyatavi.
¤ The Durjayas
About the middle of the sixth century A.D. a chief named Ranadurjaya established his rule in South Kalinga with Pishtapura as his capital. The Mudgalas of Tosali were conquered by the Durjaya king Prithvimaharaja. The kingdom was subsequently destroyed by Sasanka who was ruling in some parts of Orissa .
¤ The Upcoming Of The Mandala States
Some semi-independent province known as the Mandalas developed in between the kingdom of Bhaumas and the Somavamsis remained faithfulness to the Bhauma rulers. The ruling dynasties of those Mandalas were (1) the Bhanjas of Khinjali Mandala (2) the Bhanjas of Khijjinga Mandala (3) the Sulkis of Kodalaka Mandala (4) the Tungas of Yamagartta Mandala (5) the Nandodbhavas of Airavatta Mandala (6) the Mayuras of Banei Mandala and (7) and Gangas of Svetaka Mandala.
The Eastern Gangas who started their rule in Kalinga about the end of the 5th century AD continued as a small power till the time of Vajrahasta V who came to the throne in 1038 A.D.
¤ Mukundadeva
Mukundadeva came to the throne in 1559 by betrayal and slaughter. He belonged to the Chalukya family. In 1560 Sultan Ghiyasuddin Jallal Shah of Bengal invaded Orissa and marched up to Jajpur. Mukundadeva defeated him and drove him out of Orissa. During that time Akbar was planning to conquer Bengal and made alliance with Mukundadeva for that purpose. In 1567 when Akbar was busy in the invasion of Chitor, Sultan Karrani invaded Orissa. The Mughal Governor of Bihar, Munim Khan became nonchalant and Mukundadeva confronted the invasion of Bengal single-handed. He was defeated by the Sultan Karrani and took refuge in the fort of Kotsima, where Sultan Karrani tormented him. Mukundadeva made a treaty with Suleiman Karranim and fought against Ramachandra Bhanja where he lost his life at the hands of Ramachandra Bhanja. Later on Ramachandra was also defeated and killed by Bayazid and Orissa was conquered by the Afghans of Bengal in 1568 AD.
¤ Since 1568 up To Independence
The year 1568 is considered as an important state in the history of Orissa that can be divided into the glorious era --- gratifying past and the dark, obscure period which was ahead. Orissa maintained her political vigor with successive powerful ruling dynasties and made a distinction of her own within the wider intricacy of Indian civilization. In the fields of art, architecture, religion, philosophy and literature, ancient Orissa made notable achievements.
¤ The Declining Phase of Orissa
Not very late internal disorder, wars and invasions altogether were the main cause to bring about the downfall of mediaeval Orissa. Orissa was one of the last of the Indian territories to surrender to the Muslims rule. The Muslim ruler of Bengal, Suleiman Karrani succeeded in vanquishing the land of Orissa in 1568, ending thereby the independence of this powerful Hindu kingdom.
¤ The Rulers of Afghan
Orissa came under the rule of the Afghans with the victory of Karrani in Orissa. But fortunately the new rulers could not establish their authority in the effective manner. Suleiman Karrani died in 1572. Daud Karrani, his younger brother took up the throne as the ruler of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa. During this time Mughal Emperor Akbar whose aim was to extend his empire, had his eyes over the state for the long time as he got the opportunity he fought a battle and captured Orissa. There started the rule of Mughals Empire in Orissa.
¤ The Glorious Phase of Mughal Rule
Mughals could never had a very strong footing on the land of Orissa due to its terrain. Akbar was contented that the territory of Orissa is added into its province. Thus, in most parts of Orissa, local rulers enjoyed their autonomous authority and semi-independent status. Akbar, true to his liberal policies and principles, even paid respect to Raja Ramachandra Deva-I of Khordha, authorizing him to enjoy the courtly position of a subordinate king.
Orissa constituted into a separate province in 1607and Cuttack was declared its capital during the rule of Akbar's son Jahangir and his successors. Orissa enjoyed this status till the end of the rule of the Great Mughals.
Orissa was ruled by Mughals for about two centuries, but there was no endeavor on their part to convert the people to Islam. When the Mughal Empire began to decay, the Nazim of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa, Aliverdi Khan, became independent. The Marathas played a major role in declining of the Mughal Empire. There started a conflict between Aliverdi and the Marathas, which finally ended in the Maratha acquisition of Orissa.
¤ Marathas Brought Great Development To The Region
The Maratha administration of Orissa functionally began from the year 1751. Maratha brought lot of developments into the region. They encouraged pilgrimage to Orissa from other parts of India, due to the increasing esteem and fame of the Jagannath Temple. The great festivals of Puri received sufficient patronage. Marathas aslo had a great role in the boosting up of Oriya literature. It made a rapid progress-- the Kavya and Padya literature, prose and biographical literature, Puranic and historical writings, besides devotional poetry, made immense advancement.
But this glorious phase of Maratha rule could only lasted for not more then half a century. There rises the British power in the region.
¤ Finally Orissa Came In The Hands Of British Rule
In 1633, the British setup a trade centre at Hariharpur, one of the first of their settlements in India. Their subsequent establishment at Baleshwar on river Burhabalanga and at Pipili on river Subarnarekha grew into booming trade centres.
After the Battle of Plassey in 1757 and Buxar in 1764 the craving of the British Empire reached its heights, and they wanted to acquire as much of Indian territories as possible. With all means of hook and crook slowly and steadily they started capturing the territories of Indian sub-continent and Orissa being so near to Bengal was never a hassle. The treaty of Deogarh, signed on 17 December 1803, ended the Maratha rule and Orissa was under the regime of British Rule.
Orissa in fact had been much deformed and reduced in size and population when the British rule began. There left only the three coastal districts - Baleshwar, Cuttack and Puri.
¤ Great Orissa Famine
The indications of famine were quite prominent since October,1865. It was a complete default of the British Government to realize the urgency of the situation. The government was even fail to meet the food demand, that led to a mortality of one million. Nearly one man in every three in Orissa died in the famine. Orissa took time to recover from the effects of the Great Famine. Thereafter British were compelled to pay some focus towards the development of the affected region.
¤ Freedom Struggle In Orissa
The Indian National Congress was born in 1885, the Orissa was all ready for taking up a initiative in the advancing of the Congress beliefs and programs.
Orissa marched on the path of freedom struggle with the rest of India for national independence. With the active participation of Oriya inhabitants, started the struggle of freedom movement in a daring spirit. The current of the Non-Co-operation Movement swept over Orissa. Gandhiji's visit to Orissa in 1921 was a major success as he got the tremendous response for his struggle from all sections of the people. The message touched the hearts of the rural mass as well as the elite of Orissa. Many of the renowned lawyers gave up their legal profession --- Gopabandhu Choudhury, Surendra Nath Das and Muhammed Hanif gave up their government jobs. Pandit Nilakantha Das left the job of Calcutta University to serve in a national school. Orissa national movement was further strengthened by the visit of other great leaders like, Motital Nehru, Subhash Chandra Bose in 1922.
As the ultimate effort of the National Congress to secure the complete independence, the Quit India Movement was started in August 1942, Orissa had an active role in this revolution. The revolution in Orissa arose in the hearts of poor and common people who required no leadership to rise, but occupied an impulsive determination to take part in revolution.
With the coming of the independence in August 1947 the issue of the merger of the states was taken up immediately, for which the grounds had long been prepared by the Praja Mandal Movements.
With the merger of the states, the new Orissa became nearly twice as big in size, and with the addition of 50 per cent more people to its existing population, it became one of the major territories of the Indian sub-continent. Today Orissa has far reached its goals, treasuring immense resources of unlimited minerals, dense forests, fertile lands and numerous rivers.
The Satavahana king Goutamiputra Satakarni ruled Kalinga early in the second century. According to some scholars, Mahrarja Rajadhiraja Dharmadamadhara's gold coin was found from Sisupalgarh excavation who is considered as a Jaina king belonging to Murunda family which ruled over parts of Bihar and Orissa. The Bhadrak stone inscription of Maharaja Ganabhadra datable to the third century AD also indicates the rule of the Murundas in Orissa.
Thereafter the Murundas of Kalinga were conquered by the rising Naga dynasties of Kausambi, Ahichhatra, Padmavati and Vindhyatavi.
¤ The Durjayas
About the middle of the sixth century A.D. a chief named Ranadurjaya established his rule in South Kalinga with Pishtapura as his capital. The Mudgalas of Tosali were conquered by the Durjaya king Prithvimaharaja. The kingdom was subsequently destroyed by Sasanka who was ruling in some parts of Orissa .
¤ The Upcoming Of The Mandala States
Some semi-independent province known as the Mandalas developed in between the kingdom of Bhaumas and the Somavamsis remained faithfulness to the Bhauma rulers. The ruling dynasties of those Mandalas were (1) the Bhanjas of Khinjali Mandala (2) the Bhanjas of Khijjinga Mandala (3) the Sulkis of Kodalaka Mandala (4) the Tungas of Yamagartta Mandala (5) the Nandodbhavas of Airavatta Mandala (6) the Mayuras of Banei Mandala and (7) and Gangas of Svetaka Mandala.
The Eastern Gangas who started their rule in Kalinga about the end of the 5th century AD continued as a small power till the time of Vajrahasta V who came to the throne in 1038 A.D.
¤ Mukundadeva
Mukundadeva came to the throne in 1559 by betrayal and slaughter. He belonged to the Chalukya family. In 1560 Sultan Ghiyasuddin Jallal Shah of Bengal invaded Orissa and marched up to Jajpur. Mukundadeva defeated him and drove him out of Orissa. During that time Akbar was planning to conquer Bengal and made alliance with Mukundadeva for that purpose. In 1567 when Akbar was busy in the invasion of Chitor, Sultan Karrani invaded Orissa. The Mughal Governor of Bihar, Munim Khan became nonchalant and Mukundadeva confronted the invasion of Bengal single-handed. He was defeated by the Sultan Karrani and took refuge in the fort of Kotsima, where Sultan Karrani tormented him. Mukundadeva made a treaty with Suleiman Karranim and fought against Ramachandra Bhanja where he lost his life at the hands of Ramachandra Bhanja. Later on Ramachandra was also defeated and killed by Bayazid and Orissa was conquered by the Afghans of Bengal in 1568 AD.
¤ Since 1568 up To Independence
The year 1568 is considered as an important state in the history of Orissa that can be divided into the glorious era --- gratifying past and the dark, obscure period which was ahead. Orissa maintained her political vigor with successive powerful ruling dynasties and made a distinction of her own within the wider intricacy of Indian civilization. In the fields of art, architecture, religion, philosophy and literature, ancient Orissa made notable achievements.
¤ The Declining Phase of Orissa
Not very late internal disorder, wars and invasions altogether were the main cause to bring about the downfall of mediaeval Orissa. Orissa was one of the last of the Indian territories to surrender to the Muslims rule. The Muslim ruler of Bengal, Suleiman Karrani succeeded in vanquishing the land of Orissa in 1568, ending thereby the independence of this powerful Hindu kingdom.
¤ The Rulers of Afghan
Orissa came under the rule of the Afghans with the victory of Karrani in Orissa. But fortunately the new rulers could not establish their authority in the effective manner. Suleiman Karrani died in 1572. Daud Karrani, his younger brother took up the throne as the ruler of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa. During this time Mughal Emperor Akbar whose aim was to extend his empire, had his eyes over the state for the long time as he got the opportunity he fought a battle and captured Orissa. There started the rule of Mughals Empire in Orissa.
¤ The Glorious Phase of Mughal Rule
Mughals could never had a very strong footing on the land of Orissa due to its terrain. Akbar was contented that the territory of Orissa is added into its province. Thus, in most parts of Orissa, local rulers enjoyed their autonomous authority and semi-independent status. Akbar, true to his liberal policies and principles, even paid respect to Raja Ramachandra Deva-I of Khordha, authorizing him to enjoy the courtly position of a subordinate king.
Orissa constituted into a separate province in 1607and Cuttack was declared its capital during the rule of Akbar's son Jahangir and his successors. Orissa enjoyed this status till the end of the rule of the Great Mughals.
Orissa was ruled by Mughals for about two centuries, but there was no endeavor on their part to convert the people to Islam. When the Mughal Empire began to decay, the Nazim of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa, Aliverdi Khan, became independent. The Marathas played a major role in declining of the Mughal Empire. There started a conflict between Aliverdi and the Marathas, which finally ended in the Maratha acquisition of Orissa.
¤ Marathas Brought Great Development To The Region
The Maratha administration of Orissa functionally began from the year 1751. Maratha brought lot of developments into the region. They encouraged pilgrimage to Orissa from other parts of India, due to the increasing esteem and fame of the Jagannath Temple. The great festivals of Puri received sufficient patronage. Marathas aslo had a great role in the boosting up of Oriya literature. It made a rapid progress-- the Kavya and Padya literature, prose and biographical literature, Puranic and historical writings, besides devotional poetry, made immense advancement.
But this glorious phase of Maratha rule could only lasted for not more then half a century. There rises the British power in the region.
¤ Finally Orissa Came In The Hands Of British Rule
In 1633, the British setup a trade centre at Hariharpur, one of the first of their settlements in India. Their subsequent establishment at Baleshwar on river Burhabalanga and at Pipili on river Subarnarekha grew into booming trade centres.
After the Battle of Plassey in 1757 and Buxar in 1764 the craving of the British Empire reached its heights, and they wanted to acquire as much of Indian territories as possible. With all means of hook and crook slowly and steadily they started capturing the territories of Indian sub-continent and Orissa being so near to Bengal was never a hassle. The treaty of Deogarh, signed on 17 December 1803, ended the Maratha rule and Orissa was under the regime of British Rule.
Orissa in fact had been much deformed and reduced in size and population when the British rule began. There left only the three coastal districts - Baleshwar, Cuttack and Puri.
¤ Great Orissa Famine
The indications of famine were quite prominent since October,1865. It was a complete default of the British Government to realize the urgency of the situation. The government was even fail to meet the food demand, that led to a mortality of one million. Nearly one man in every three in Orissa died in the famine. Orissa took time to recover from the effects of the Great Famine. Thereafter British were compelled to pay some focus towards the development of the affected region.
¤ Freedom Struggle In Orissa
The Indian National Congress was born in 1885, the Orissa was all ready for taking up a initiative in the advancing of the Congress beliefs and programs.
Orissa marched on the path of freedom struggle with the rest of India for national independence. With the active participation of Oriya inhabitants, started the struggle of freedom movement in a daring spirit. The current of the Non-Co-operation Movement swept over Orissa. Gandhiji's visit to Orissa in 1921 was a major success as he got the tremendous response for his struggle from all sections of the people. The message touched the hearts of the rural mass as well as the elite of Orissa. Many of the renowned lawyers gave up their legal profession --- Gopabandhu Choudhury, Surendra Nath Das and Muhammed Hanif gave up their government jobs. Pandit Nilakantha Das left the job of Calcutta University to serve in a national school. Orissa national movement was further strengthened by the visit of other great leaders like, Motital Nehru, Subhash Chandra Bose in 1922.
As the ultimate effort of the National Congress to secure the complete independence, the Quit India Movement was started in August 1942, Orissa had an active role in this revolution. The revolution in Orissa arose in the hearts of poor and common people who required no leadership to rise, but occupied an impulsive determination to take part in revolution.
With the coming of the independence in August 1947 the issue of the merger of the states was taken up immediately, for which the grounds had long been prepared by the Praja Mandal Movements.
With the merger of the states, the new Orissa became nearly twice as big in size, and with the addition of 50 per cent more people to its existing population, it became one of the major territories of the Indian sub-continent. Today Orissa has far reached its goals, treasuring immense resources of unlimited minerals, dense forests, fertile lands and numerous rivers.
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