HISTORICAL GEOGRAPHY OF KALINGA

Introduction

To understand the events in the history of a country, a thorough knowledge of

geography is essential. Without becoming acquainted with the precise locations of various
places that figure prominently in texts, it is impossible to follow the course of events to any
significant extent. In ancient times, Orissa consisted of several Janapadas and Mahajanapadas.
Identifying these Janapadas and Mahajanapadas is a prerequisite for studying the cultural,
political, and religious history of this land properly. In the course of our study, we have
attempted to delineate the geographical jurisdictions of several Janapadas within ancient
Orissa. The major Janapadas include 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 played a significant role in the history of India through the ages.
The geographical boundaries of this territory were never static throughout the ancient period.
Originally, it was a small territory bordering on the Bay of Bengal in South Orissa and north
Andhra. Its power was far-reaching, and its empire sometimes embraced almost the whole of
traditional Orissa as well as India.
Origin Of Kalinga:
Puranic literature presents an interesting account of the origin of Kalinga. According
to a story described in the Puranas and the Mahabharata, the fifth in the line of Titiksu was
King Bali, who was blessed with five sons. It is said that a blind Rsi named Dirghatamas, who
had been expelled from the hermitage because of gross immorality with the wife of his uncle
(father's brother), was 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 named Anga, Vanga, Kalinga, Pundra, and Sumha, and they were
described as Baleya Brahmanas or Baleya Kshatriyas. Bali divided his kingdom among his
sons, and the territories they obtained came to be known after their names.
On the other hand, Kalinga are mentioned as a tribe in a number of ancient Indian
literary works, both sacred and secular, which apparently indicates that the country was
named after its people. The Kalinga, 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 from a remote period groups the Kalinga into a class of the eastern Aryans. In the
Padma Purana, the Kalinga are mentioned twice; once alongside 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 references the Kalinga along with
the Pulindas, Abhiras, Andhras, Vidrabhas, and Kuntalas.
In the Harivamsa, we find them associated with the Pundras. In the Adi Parva and
Santi Parva of the Mahabharata, it is stated that the Kalingas were defeated at different times
by Sahadeva, Krishna, Bhima, Sikhandi, Jayadratha, Karna, and Dronacharya. The king of
Kalinga was invited to join the Bharata war on the side of the Pandavas, but instead, he joined
on the side of the Kauravas. In this war, the King of Kalinga is said to have fought with
Arjuna, Bhima, Satyaki, Abhimanyu, Drurstadyumna, and Nakula. The Kalinga are also
found in secular literature. They are referred to in the Arthasasthra of Kautilya and the
Astadhyayi of Panini. Classical Greek writers have left valuable accounts regarding Kalinga
and its people. Pliny specifically mentioned the Kalinga tribe and their capital at Parthalis.
There are many indigenous and foreign sources that describe the Kalinga. With all these
references, we can say with certainty that the Kalinga were an ancient tribe with a well-
developed society and an independent kingdom named after them.
Traditional boundary of Kalinga
In ancient times, the Kalingas had established an empire that encompassed almost the
entirety of traditional Orissa. The extent of this empire can be determined by analyzing
various source materials. The Mahabharata indicates that Kalinga had extended up to the
mouth of the Ganges.
In the Tirtha Yatra section of Vanaparva, the sage Lomasa stood at 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 differently and
suggest that the epic Kalinga comprised the eastern coast from the river Vaitarni to the mouth
of the Godavari in Andhra. However, in the epic verse, the Vaitarani is clearly mentioned as
a river within the territory of Kalinga and not as its boundary line. From this verse, we know
that the river Ganges serves as the northern boundary of Kalinga. Regarding the northern
boundary of Kalinga, this is corroborated in the works of early Greek writers like
Megasthenes. He refers to a territory called Gangaridum Calinarum Regia and states that the
river Ganges was its northeastern boundary.
Pliny gives a clear picture of Kalinga's territory, which he divides into three parts:
Gangarides Calingae, Macco Calingae, and Calingae, with only one capital at Parthalis.
Gangarides Calingae, apparently the same as Gangaridum Calingarum region, identifies the
region on the bank of the Ganges near its mouth. Macco Calingae probably identifies the
middle or central Kalinga empire, comprising the Utkala, Odra, and Tosali regions. Calingae
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was undoubtedly the homeland of the Kalinga people. Pliny suggests that the southern
boundary of Kalinga was Cape Calingae, identified by Yule with Point Godavari at the mouth
of the Godavari River. The Mahabharata refers to the capital of Kalinga as Dantapura,
identified with Dandagula of Pliny, who locates it about 570 miles south of the Ganges mouth.
All these sources indicate 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 evidence of the
Puranas. The Puranas like Markendeya, Brahmanda, and Vamsa locate Kalinga in southern
India or Dakshinapatha. The Brahma Purana places it in Madhyadesa. However, the Matsya
Purana describes Kalinga as being in both 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
within its boundary.
The Vayu and Skanda Puranas also place Amarkantaka on the western side of Kalinga.
A critical study of these evidences leads us to believe that Kalinga was originally a country
in Dakshinapatha, but it had established an empire extending to Madhyadesa. The above four
Puranas locate Amarkantaka on the eastern side of Kalinga, suggesting that the hill formed
the western boundary of the country. From the above, we may conclude that Kalinga, in
ancient times, extended from the mouth of the Ganges in the north to the mouth of the river
Godavari in the south and from the Bay of Bengal in the east to the Amarkantaka hill in the
Vindhya Range in the west.
Change The Territorial Extent Of Kalinga From Time To Time
Due to political instability, the territorial geographical extent of the Kalinga kingdom
changed from time to time. Most probably, from the end of the Bharata war to the foundation
of the Nanda rule, the Kingdom of Kalinga came under the rule of 32 Kshatriya kings. Here,
I highlight the geographical extent of Kalinga under the supervision of the Nanda rule to the
time of the Suryavamsi Gajapatis and the advent of the 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 the 4th century B.C.E. Again, line No. 12 describes that Kharavela defeated a
king of Magadha and brought back the Kalinga Jina image which had been taken away by the
Nanda king during his conquering of Kalinga. This inscription reveals that Kalinga was
conquered by Mahapadmananda and annexed to the Magadhan Empire.
Historians like R.K. Mukherji opine that Mahapadmananda conquered only a part of Kalinga
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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 southwest of
Kalinganagari, the capital city of Kalinga conquered by Mahapadmananda. The entire
territory came under the rule of Mahapadmananda. During the time of the Nanda rule, the
whole of Kalinga from the Ganges to the Godavari was annexed to the Magadhan empire.
Kalinga under the Mauryas
After the fall of the Nanda rule, Kalinga asserted 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 under direct control. The middle Kalinga or Macco Kalinga (Utkala, Odra, and
Tosali region) formed a separate unit with Tosali as its headquarters. The southern 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 the Mauryan period was constituted 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 has been mentioned as Vidhyadhara territory in the Hatigumpha inscription,
Mahakantara region in the Allahabad Prasasti of Samudragupta, and the original kingdoms of
the Nalas of Orissa. It was very close to Kalinga and later known as Trikalinga or the high
upland of Kalinga.
Kalinga under Sungas and Kanvas
After the Kalinga war, the benevolent administration of Ashoka and the spread of
Buddhism might have had an impact among the people of Kalinga. The coup of Pushyamitra
Sunga in 185 B.C.E weakened Kalinga. During this period, Kalinga was subordinate to the
Sungas and Kanvas. The group of Pushyamitra Sunga perhaps could not stabilize in Kalinga.
Kalinga under the Mahameghavahanas or Chedis
In the first century B.C.E., after the fall of the Sungas and Kanvas, two powers
emerged: the Satavahanas in Maharashtra and the Mahameghavahanas in Kalinga. Lines 1
and 3 of the Hatigumpha inscription mention that Kharavela, the son of Chetaraja, belonged
to the third generation of the Mahameghavahana dynasty. The Hatigumpha inscription also
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reveals that the territorial boundary of Kalinga under Kharavela extended from Mathura in
the North to the Pandya kingdom in the south, and from the territories of Rathikas and
Bhojakas in the Maharashtra region in the west. During Kharavela's time, the traditional
boundary of the Kalinga region extended from the mouth of the Ganges to the mouth of the
Godavari. After Kharavela, no territorial evidence of Kalinga under his dynasty has been
found.
Kalinga under the Satavahanas
After Kharavela, in the first quarter of the second century C.E., Kalinga came under
the control of Gautamiputra Satakarni. It is mentioned that Kharavela had crushed the
Satavahana power, and it was Satakarni who rose 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 such as the Vindhyas, the Rksavat, Paripatra or Pariyatra, Sahya,
Krishnagiri, Malaya, Mahendra, and Svetagiri. Scholars believe that Krishnagiri has been
referred to in the Ganjam copper plate charter of the Sailodbhava king Madhavavarman. It is
situated near Nirmalajhara in the former estate of Khalikote in the northeastern part of the
Ganjam district. Mountain Malaya is identified with Malayagiri near Pallahara in the
Dhenkanal district. Mount Mahendra is situated in the Ganjam district and is mentioned as
Kula Parvata in many literary and epigraphical records. The identification of Svetagiri is
modern Srikurmam or Srikakulam district of Andhra Pradesh. From all the above
identifications of the mountains, it is said that the Kalinga territory was amalgamated into the
Satavahana dynasty during the reign of Satakarni.
Kalinga under the Eve of Samudragupta
After the fall of the Satavahana empire, the territorial extent of Kalinga became
obscure until the conquest of Samudragupta. The Dathadhatuvamsa of the Ceylonese account
mentioned that Guhasiva was a feudatory of Magadha who flourished in Kalinga circa 300
C.E. and was a contemporary of the Ceylonese king Mahasena (277 – 304 C.E.). After the
death of Guhasiva, the Kalinga territory was divided into a number of small independent
states, and no unity among them was found. This situation in Kalinga facilitated the invasion
of Samudragupta, as mentioned in the Allahabad pillar inscription. In his southern campaign,
Samudragupta conquered territories namely south Kosala comprising the Raipur-Bilaspur
district of Madhya Pradesh, Mahakantara located in the Bastar-Koraput region. After these
territories, he marched towards Kalinga and defeated Mantaraja of Korala, identified with the
modern village named Karada on the border of Koraput close to the Srikakulam district on
the bank of the Nagavali. In this way, there was no severe power in Kalinga as existed in the
early period. From the Allahabad inscription, we know that Samudragupta also captured
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Kalinga.
Kalinga under the Matharas
After Samudragupta, the Matharas (350 – 500 C.E.) ruled over Kalinga from Sripura,
which has been identified as Vatia Sripura near the town of Parlakhamundi. The first king of
the family known as Visakhavarman issued a copper plate grant, donating to the village
Topoyakagrama. The find spot of the grant is one mile from Vatia Sripura and eight miles
from Parlakhemudi. Some of the Matharas rulers mentioned that they were the masters 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, the Kalinga kingdom extended from Mount
Mahendra to the river Godavari.
During the time of Saktivarman (400 C.E.), the Mathara kingdom rose to the height of glory.
He issued the Ragolu plates from Pistapura, where he mentioned that 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 5thcentury
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 Kalinga and assumed the title of
Kalingadhipati. There were only three rulers of this dynasty, namely Maharaja Gunavarman,
his son Maharaja Prabhanjanavarman, and the third, Maharaja Anantavarman. Particularly in
the Srungvarapukota copper plate grants of Anantavarman, we know that King Gunavarman
was described as the lord of Kalinga. During the Vasisthas' reign, the Kalinga Kingdom
extended up to the river Godavari.
Kalinga under the Eastern Ganges
The downfall of the Vasisthas led to the rise of the Eastern Ganges, and the Kalinga
Empire came under their supervision. Probably Harisena of Vakataka destroyed the Nalas and
seems to have placed his Ganga general Indravarman in charge of the Nala territories,
comprising modern Bastar and the 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 as Dantapura. Hastivarman, the third ruler of the Eastern Ganga
dynasty, extended his territory from Mount Mahendra up to the Rusikulya and assumed the
title of Trikalingadhipati.

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Kalinga under the Suryavamsi Gajapatis and Mughals
During the 10th century C.E., Kalinga fell into the hands of the Suryavamsi Gajapati
dynasty. This time, Kalinga was designated as a Dandapata. A large number of inscriptions
were found in this dynasty from Simhacalam and Srikurman, which state that Kalinga
Dandapata continued as a fiscal division even during the rule of the Mughals in Orissa. 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 Valanga to Brahmani, (3) Kataka Sarkar from Brahmani to Chilika lake, (4)
Kalinga-Dandapata from Chilika lake to Rusikulya, and (5) Rajmahendri Sarkar from
Rusikulya to Godavari. In 1571, Kalinga-Dandapata had been merged with Golkonda under
the Qutab Shahi, and the glorious territory of the Kalinga kingdom now came to an end
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 vast 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, sometimes it receive large extent of territory and sometimes it reduced to a small
principality.From the Nandas rule to the advent of Mughalsit 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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