Pithunda
Encyclopedia
Pithunda was a port in the ancient kingdom of Kalinga
on the eastern coast of India
.
Pithundra was the capital of an old kingdom in what is now the Krishna district
of Andhra Pradesh
, not far from Masulipatam.
Sylvain Levi
considers that Pithunda was located to the south of Pallur in the Anantapur district
.
Pithunda is described in the Jain text Uttaradhyana Sutra as an important center at the time of Mahavira
(599 – 527 BC), and was frequented by merchants from Champa
(now Vietnam
).
The Hatigumpha inscription says that Kharavela
(c. 209 – 170 BC) devastated the city.
This occurred during a war between Kalinga and the Tamil
confederacy to the south. After defeating the city,
Kharavela is said to have ploughed it using a plough yoked to asses.
Pithunda was called Pithundra in the Peripus and the Geography of Ptolemy
(c. 90 – 168 AD).
Kalinga
Kalinga is a landlocked province of the Philippines in the Cordillera Administrative Region in Luzon. Its capital is Tabuk and borders Mountain Province to the south, Abra to the west, Isabela to the east, Cagayan to the northeast, and Apayao to the north...
on the eastern coast of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.
Pithundra was the capital of an old kingdom in what is now the Krishna district
Krishna district
Krishna District is a district of India's Andhra Pradesh state. It is named after the Krishna River, the third longest river that flows within India, flows through the district and joins Bay of Bengal here in this district. It has a population of 4,529,009 of which 32.08% is urban as of...
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...
, not far from Masulipatam.
Sylvain Levi
Sylvain Lévi
Sylvain Lévi was an orientalist and indologist. Born in Paris on March 28, 1863, his book Théâtre Indien is an important work on the subject. Lévi also conducted some of the earliest analysis of Tokharian fragments discovered in Western China.-Biography:Sylvain Levi passed the agregation...
considers that Pithunda was located to the south of Pallur in the Anantapur district
Anantapur district
Anantapur District , ) is one of the 23 districts in Andhra Pradesh, India. The district headquarters is Anantapur City. It is currently a part of the Red Corridor.- Geography :...
.
Pithunda is described in the Jain text Uttaradhyana Sutra as an important center at the time of Mahavira
Mahavira
Mahāvīra is the name most commonly used to refer to the Indian sage Vardhamāna who established what are today considered to be the central tenets of Jainism. According to Jain tradition, he was the 24th and the last Tirthankara. In Tamil, he is referred to as Arukaṉ or Arukadevan...
(599 – 527 BC), and was frequented by merchants from Champa
Champa
The kingdom of Champa was an Indianized kingdom that controlled what is now southern and central Vietnam from approximately the 7th century through to 1832.The Cham people are remnants...
(now 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 –...
).
The Hatigumpha inscription says that 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...
(c. 209 – 170 BC) devastated the city.
This occurred during a war between Kalinga and the Tamil
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,...
confederacy to the south. After defeating the city,
Kharavela is said to have ploughed it using a plough yoked to asses.
Pithunda was called Pithundra in the Peripus and the Geography of Ptolemy
Ptolemy
Claudius Ptolemy , was a Roman citizen of Egypt who wrote in Greek. He was a mathematician, astronomer, geographer, astrologer, and poet of a single epigram in the Greek Anthology. He lived in Egypt under Roman rule, and is believed to have been born in the town of Ptolemais Hermiou in the...
(c. 90 – 168 AD).