History of Orissa - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The history of Orissa

Orissa

Orissa , officially Odisha since Nov 2011, is a state of India, located on the east coast of India, by the Bay of Bengal. It is the modern name of the ancient nation of Kalinga, which was invaded by the Maurya Emperor Ashoka in 261 BC. The modern state of Orissa was established on 1 April...

spans over 3,500 years and it is atypical from the history of the northern plains in many ways. Many of the common generalizations that are made about Indian history doesn't apply to the Oriya region. The word Oriya is an anglicised version of Odiya which itself is a modern name for the Odra or Udra tribes that inhabited the central belt of modern Orissa. Orissa has been the home of the Kalinga
Kalinga (India)
Kalinga was an early state in central-eastern India, which comprised most of the modern state of Orissa/Utkal , as well as the Andhra region of the bordering state of Andhra Pradesh. It was a rich and fertile land that extended from the river Damodar/Ganges to Godavari and from Bay of Bengal to...

, Utkal, Kantara/Mahakantara and Kosal (South) that played a particularly prominent role in the region's history and one of the earliest references to the ancient Kalingas appears in the writings of Vedic chroniclers. In the 6th century, Vedic Sutrakara Baudhayana mentions Kalinga as being beyond the Vedic fold, indicating that Brahminical influences had not yet touched the land. Unlike some other parts of India, tribal customs and traditions played a significant role in shaping political structures and cultural practices right up to the 15th century when brahminical influences triumphed over competing traditions and caste differentiation began to inhibit social mobility and erode what had survived of the ancient republican tradition.

Ancient History

Present Orissa can be classified into part of three different kingdoms in ancient time. Kalinga, Kantara or Mahakantara and South Kosala were the kingdoms during Mahabharata/Ramayana where Kalinga existed in the eastern part of present Orissa, South Kosala existed in the North Western part of present Orissa and Kantara (Mahakantara) existed in the South Western part of present Orissa. Cuttack-Bhubaneswar and Kalinga Nagar (North Andhra Pardesh) were the central places for Kalinga kingdom, whereas Sripur/Bilaspur was center for South Kosal and Asurgarh region in Kalahandi was center for Kantara/Mahakantara. As per Mahabharata, Kalinga fought war in the side of Kauraba and Sahadeb had vanished in Kantara, which was known as a kingdom consisting of dense forest during that period, large part of KBK in Orissa and Bastar of Chhattisgarh were known as Kantara. Kosal was divided as North and South Kosala where Kusha, younger son of lord Sri Rama, got the South Kosala consiting present days North Chhattisgarh and North West Orissa.

Kalinga

In ancient times, Orissa was known as Kalinga

Kalinga (India)

Kalinga was an early state in central-eastern India, which comprised most of the modern state of Orissa/Utkal , as well as the Andhra region of the bordering state of Andhra Pradesh. It was a rich and fertile land that extended from the river Damodar/Ganges to Godavari and from Bay of Bengal to...

. 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

Angkor Wat

Angkor Wat is a temple complex at Angkor, Cambodia, built for the king Suryavarman II in the early 12th century as his state temple and capital city. As the best-preserved temple at the site, it is the only one to have remained a significant religious centre since its foundation – first Hindu,...

is a fine example of Orissan-influenced Indian architecture. Some parts of Southern and South Eastern Asia such as Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...

, Cambodia

Cambodia

Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...

, Java, Sumatra

Sumatra

Sumatra is an island in western Indonesia, westernmost of the Sunda Islands. It is the largest island entirely in Indonesia , and the sixth largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 with a population of 50,365,538...

, Bali

Bali

Bali is an Indonesian island located in the westernmost end of the Lesser Sunda Islands, lying between Java to the west and Lombok to the east...

, Vietnam

Vietnam

Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...

and Thailand

Thailand

Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...

were colonized by people from Orissa. In Malaysia, Indians are still referred as Klings

Klings

Klings is a municipality in the Wartburgkreis district of Thuringia, Germany....

because of this. Many illustrious Sri Lankan kings such as Nisanka Malla and Parakarama Bahu claim Kalinga origin. The king who destroyed the Sinhalese

Sinhalese people

The Sinhalese are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group,forming the majority of Sri Lanka,constituting 74% of the Sri Lankan population.They number approximately 15 million worldwide.The Sinhalese identity is based on language, heritage and religion. The Sinhalese speak Sinhala, an Indo-Aryan language and the...

Buddhist control of Northern Sri Lanka and established a Hindu Kingdom in Jaffna

Jaffna

Jaffna is the capital city of the Northern Province, Sri Lanka. It is the administrative headquarters of the Jaffna district located on a peninsula of the same name. Jaffna is approximately six miles away from Kandarodai which served as a famous emporium in the Jaffna peninsula from classical...

was known as Kalinga Magha. One theory holds that the name of the country "Siam" for Thailand

Thailand

is derived from Oriya/Sanskrit Shyamadesha. The Angkor Wat

Angkor Wat

in Cambodia

Cambodia

Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...

is Orissan, with local variations. Bali in Indonesia still retains its Orissan-influenced Hindu heritage.

Nanda Rule

Mahapadmananda

Mahapadma Nanda

Mahapadma Nanda was the first king of the Nanda dynasty. He was the son of Mahanandin, a Kshatriya father from the Shishunaga dynasty, with a shudra wife. Sons of Mahanandin from his Kshatriya wives opposed the rise of Mahapadma Nanda, on which he eliminated all of them to claim the throne...

of Nanda Dynasty

Nanda Dynasty

The Nanda Empire originated from the region of Magadha in Ancient India during the 5th and 4th centuries BC. At its greatest extent, the Nanda Empire extended from Bengal in the east, to Punjab in the west and as far south as the Vindhya Range...

who ascended the throne of Magadha in 362 BC 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

Kalahandi

Kalahandi, , is a district of Orissa in India. The region had a glorious past and great civilization in ancient time. Archaeological evidence of stone age and Iron Age human settlement has been recovered from the region. Asurgarh offered an advanced, well civilized, cultured and urban human...

district and Sonepur

Sonepur

Sonepur, also known as Subarnapur, is a town and district headquarters of Subarnapur district of Orissa. Sonepur was formerly the capital of a princely state of British India. The district spreads over an area of 2284.89 km2. It is also known as Second Varanasi of India for its cluster of...

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

Chandragupta Maurya

Chandragupta Maurya , was the founder of the Maurya Empire. Chandragupta succeeded in conquering most of the Indian subcontinent. Chandragupta is considered the first unifier of India and its first genuine emperor...

who found the Maurya empire

Maurya Empire

The Maurya Empire was a geographically extensive Iron Age historical power in ancient India, ruled by the Mauryan dynasty from 321 to 185 BC...

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.

Kalinga War & Mauryan Empire

A major turning point in world history took place around 261 BC when the Mauryan emperor Asok

Asok

Asok may refer to:* Ashoka, Indian emperor of Maurya dynasty in the 3rd century BC* Asok * Asok or Asoke, alternative name for Sukhumvit Soi 21 in Bangkok* Asok Station, a BTS skytrain station in Bangkok...

a, invaded Kalinga, which is famously known as Kalinga War

Kalinga War

The Kalinga War was a war fought between the Mauryan Empire under Ashoka the Great and the state of Kalinga, a feudal republic located on the coast of the present-day Indian state of Orissa. The Kalinga war is one of the major battles in the History of India. Kalinga put up a stiff resistance,...

. 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 under the Mauryan

-Kalinga under the Mauryan:During the era of Chandragupta and Vindusara, Kalinga enjoyed its freedom as a separate and independent state, although it is not sure whether it was ruled by one king or as a group of kingdoms or any democratic form of government....

. Kalinga became one of the administrative provisions in the empire of Magadha with headquarters of a Kumara (Viceroy) located at Tosali

Tosali

Tosali or Toshali was an ancient city in the present day Orissa state in eastern India. It was the capital of the eastern province of the Maurya empire...

. 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 spread over Kalinga under his patronage and became the State religion while the art of stonemasonry 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 BC and the Maurya empire lasted up to 185 BC.

Tel River Civilization and Mahakantara

The Tel river civilization existed in the Kalahandi, Balangir and Koraput (KBK) region, and has recently been explored. Archeological discoveries in the Tel Valley suggest a well civilized, urbanized, cultured people inhabited on this land mass around 2000 years ago and Asurgarh, Kalahandi was its capital. Kalahandi along with Koraput and Bastar was part of Kantara referred in Ramayana and Mahabharata. In 4th century BC, this region was known as Indravana from where precious gem-stones and diamond were collected for the imperial Maurya treasury. During the period of Ashoka, the region of Kalahandi, Koraput and Bastar region was called Atavi Land. This land was unconquered, according to the Ashokan record. In the beginning of theChristian era it may have been known as Mahavana. In the 4th century AD, Vyaghraraja ruled over Mahakantara, comprising Kalahandi, undivided Koraput and the Bastar region. Asurgarh was capital of Mahakantara.

Mahameghavahana Kharavela

Main Article Kharavela

In the early past of the 1st century BC, Kalinga became independent under the Chedi Chief Mahameghavana. The third ruler of this dynasty was Kharavela

Kharavela

Khārabēḷa was the third and greatest emperor of the Mahāmēghabāhana Dynasty of Kaḷinga . The main source of information about Khārabeḷa is his famous seventeen line rock-cut Hātigumphā inscription in a cave in the Udayagiri hills near Bhubaneswar, Orissa.During the reign of Khārabēḷa, the Chedi...

who flourished during the second half of the 1st century BC. The Hatigumpha inscription

Hathigumpha inscription

The Hathigumpha inscription , from Udayagiri, near Bhubaneshwar in Orissa, was written by Kharavela, the king of Kalinga in India, during the 2nd century BCE...

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
Satavahana
The Sātavāhana Empire or Andhra Empire, was a royal Indian dynasty based from Dharanikota and Amaravati in Andhra Pradesh as well as Junnar and Prathisthan in Maharashtra. The territory of the empire covered much of India from 230 BCE onward...

king Satakarni I
Satakarni
Satakarni was the third of the Satavahana kings. He ruled around 180 BCE in Central India.It is thought that Satakarni was a son of Kunala...

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
Tamil people
Tamil people , also called Tamils or Tamilians, are an ethnic group native to Tamil Nadu, India and the north-eastern region of Sri Lanka. Historic and post 15th century emigrant communities are also found across the world, notably Malaysia, Singapore, Mauritius, South Africa, Australia, Canada,...

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
Uttarapatha
Ancient Buddhist and Hindu texts use Uttarapatha as the name of the northern part of Jambudvipa, one of the "continents" in Hindu mythology.The name is derived from the Sanskrit terms uttara, for north, and patha, for road...

, “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
Rishabha (Jain tirthankar)
In Jainism, R̥ṣabha or Ādinātha , also known as the "Lord of Kesariya") was the first of the 24 Tīrthaṅkaras. According to Jain beliefs, R̥ṣabha founded the Ikshvaku dynasty and was the first Tīrthaṅkara of the present age...

, 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
Jainism
Jainism is an Indian religion that prescribes a path of non-violence towards all living beings. Its philosophy and practice emphasize the necessity of self-effort to move the soul towards divine consciousness and liberation. Any soul that has conquered its own inner enemies and achieved the state...

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 1st century AD.

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

Taj Mahal

The Taj Mahal is a white Marble mausoleum located in Agra, India. It was built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal...

in splendour.

Major Dynasties after Kharavela

The Satavahanas
The Guptas
The Matharas
The Eastern Gangas
Eastern Ganga dynasty
The Eastern Ganga dynasty reigned from Kalinga and their rule consisted of the whole of the modern day Indian state of Orissa as well as parts of West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh from the 11th century to the early 15th century. Their capital was known by the name Kalinganagar, which is...
The Suryavamsi
Gajapati Kingdom
The Gajapatis were a medieval Hindu dynasty that ruled over Kalinga , large parts of Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal, and the eastern and central parts of Madhya Pradesh and the southern parts of Bihar from 1434-1541. Gajapati dynasty was established by Kapilendra Deva in 1434...
The Nalas
The Parvatadvarakas
The family of Sura
The Vigrahas and the Mudgalas
The Durjayas
The Sailodbhavas
The Bhaumakaras
The Mandala States
The Nagas of Karonda Mandala and Kalahandi
The Bhanjas of Khinjali Mandala
Bhanjas of Khijjinga Mandala
The Sulkis of Kodala Mandala
Tungas of Yamagartta Mandala
The Nandodbhavas of Airavatta Mandala
The Mayuras of Banei Mandala
The Gangas of Svetaka Mandala
The Sarabhapuriyas
The Somavamsis

1568 AD

In the history of Orissa the year 1568 is regarded as a dividing line between the glorious epochs of the past and the gloomy periods which followed thereafter. Through centuries from ancient times, Orissa maintained her political vitality with several powerful ruling kings at different periods, and she developed a political distinction of her own within the wider syndromes of Indian civilization. In the fields of art, architecture, religion, philosophy and literature, ancient Orissa made notable achievements and left for the future rich legacies of undying character. Orissa’s political strength was so spectacular even so late as 15th century AD that during the rule of Kapilendradeva

Kapilendradeva

Kapilendradeva or Kapilendra Routray was the emperor of Kalinga-Utkal and the founder of the Suryavansi Gajapati empire which annexed large swathes of territory in Telengana,...

(1435–1466 AD) the Oriya armies threatened and attacked most powerful kingdom in the neighbouring regions as well as in the far south and established political supremacy over a vast territory outside the limits of geographical Orissa. Kapilendra ruled from Ganges in the north-east to Arcot in the south. His successors Purushottamdeva and Prataprudradeva, though not very powerful, retained their hold over an extensive territory, and during the rule of the latter from 1497 to 1541 AD his kingdom extended from the Hooghly and Midnapore districts of West Bengal to the Guntur

Guntur

Guntur , is a city and a municipal corporation in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, located to the north and west of the Bay of Bengal. It is approximately to the south of the national capital, New Delhi and south east of state capital, Hyderabad. Guntur is the fourth largest city in Andhra...

district of Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh , is one of the 28 states of India, situated on the southeastern coast of India. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city by population is Hyderabad.The total GDP of Andhra Pradesh is $100 billion and is ranked third...

.

Political decline came soon thereafter all too suddenly. Internal turmoil, internecine wars and external invasions worked simultaneously to bring about the downfall of medieval Orissa. The Muslim ruler of Bengal, Suleiman Karrani

Sulaiman Khan Karrani

Sulaiman Khan Karrani was a ruler of Bengal from 1565 to 1572 ascending to the throne in 1565 after the death of his elder brother Taj Khan Karrani...

with the help of his famous general Kalapahad succeeded in conquering the land in 1568 by defeating the last Orissa king Mukundadeva, ending thereby the independence of this powerful Hindu kingdom which had resisted Muslim invasions successfully for three centuries. Orissa was one of the last of the Indian territories to succumb to the Muslim invasion though most part of the sub-continent had come under the Muslim rule much earlier.

Mughal Rule : The Mughals conquered Bengal and Oda in 1576.
Maratha Rule: Orissa was subsequently ceded to the Marathas in 1751.

British Period

In 1803, the British under the British East India Company

British East India Company

The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...

occupied Orissa after the Second Anglo-Maratha War

Second Anglo-Maratha War

The Second Anglo-Maratha War was the second conflict between the British East India Company and the Maratha Empire in India.-Background:...

. In 1823, Orissa was divided into the three districts of Cuttack

Cuttack

Cuttack is the former capital of the state of Orissa, India. It is the headquarters of Cuttack district and is located about 20 km to the north east of Bhubaneswar, the capital of Orissa. The name of the city is an anglicised form of Kataka that literally means The Fort, a reference to the...

, Balasore

Balasore

Balasore is a strategically located city in the state of Orissa, about north of the state capital Bhubaneswar, in eastern India. It is the administrative headquarters of Balasore district. It is best known for Chandipur beach. It is also the site of the Indian Ballistic Missile Defense...

and Puri

Puri

Puri is district headquarter, a city situated about south of state capital Bhubaneswar, on the eastern coast of the Bay of Bengal in the Indian state of Orissa. It is also known as Jagannath Puri after the Jagannath Temple . It is a holy city of the Hindus as a part of the Char Dham pilgrimages...

, and a number of native tributary states. Orissa was administed as part of the Bengal Presidency

Bengal Presidency

The Bengal Presidency originally comprising east and west Bengal, was a colonial region of the British Empire in South-Asia and beyond it. It comprised areas which are now within Bangladesh, and the present day Indian States of West Bengal, Assam, Bihar, Meghalaya, Orissa and Tripura.Penang and...

. Following famine and floods in 1866, large scale irrigation

Irrigation

Irrigation may be defined as the science of artificial application of water to the land or soil. It is used to assist in the growing of agricultural crops, maintenance of landscapes, and revegetation of disturbed soils in dry areas and during periods of inadequate rainfall...

projects were undertaken in the last half of the 19th century. The coastal section was separated from Bengal and made into the Province of Bihar and Orissa in 1912, in response to local agitation for a separate state for Oriya

Oriya language

Oriya , officially Odia from November, 2011, is an Indian language, belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European language family. It is mainly spoken in the Indian states of Orissa and West Bengal...

-speaking peoples. In 1936, Bihar

Bihar

Bihar is a state in eastern India. It is the 12th largest state in terms of geographical size at and 3rd largest by population. Almost 58% of Biharis are below the age of 25, which is the highest proportion in India....

and Orissa separated into separate provinces.

Post Independence

Following Indian independence, the area of Orissa was almost doubled and the population was increased by a third by the addition of 24 former princely states. In 1950, Orissa became a constituent state in the Union of India.

Prominent People of Modern Orissa

1.Madhusudan Das
2.Gopabandhu Das
3.Acharya Harihar Das
4.Subhas Chandra Bose
5.Krushna Chandra Gajapati
6.Nabakrusna Chaudhary
7.Gopabandhu Chaudhary
8.Harekrushna Mahatab
9.Sadhu Charan Mahanti
10.Malati Chaudhary
11.Harmohan Patnaik
12.Biju Patnaik
13.Biren Mitra
14.Nityanand Kanungo
15.Rajendra Narayan Singh Deo
16.Janaki Ballabh Patnaik
17.Chintamani Panigrahi
18.Lokanath Mishra
19.Ranganath Mishra
20.Gopal Ballabh Patnaik
21.Navin Patnaik

Ancient names of Orissa

Kalinga
Utkal
Kantara
Utkalraata
Udra
Odra
Odrabisha
Oda
Odrarashtra
Mahakantara
Kamala Mandala
Trikalinga
Kangoda
Toshali
Chedi (Mahabharata
Mahabharata
The Mahabharata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India and Nepal, the other being the Ramayana. The epic is part of itihasa....

)
Matsa (Mahabharata
Mahabharata
The Mahabharata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India and Nepal, the other being the Ramayana. The epic is part of itihasa....

)

In the Mahabharata

Mahabharata

The Mahabharata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India and Nepal, the other being the Ramayana. The epic is part of itihasa....

, the Pandavas spent the one year as 'Agyantavasa' as servants of King Virata, ruler of Matsa.

External links

History of Orissa An Article of the history of Orissa with Photographs of the Kings
History of Orissa Global history of Orissa/orissa
Orissa : A Glorious past An Introduction
The History of Orissa Different periods
Rama Devi Role of woman - Indian Freedom Struggle

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