Odisha History

Odisha (until recently known as Orissa) was formed in 1926. With the merger of the states after the independence of India from British rules in 1947, the new Odisha became nearly twice as big in size and became one of the major territories of the Indian sub-continent. In course of the time, this eastern province of India has different names with varying territories. Some of the known names are Kalinga, Utkal, Utkalraata, Udra, Odra, Odrabisha, Oda, Odrarashtra, Trikalinga, Koshala, Kangoda, Toshali, Chedi and Matsa.

The Kalinga and Utkal tribes had played a 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 BC, 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 had played a significant role in shaping political structures and cultural practices right up to the 15th century. In the Ramayana, Lord Rama's mother, Queen Kaushalya is the daughter of the king of Koshal. In the Mahabharata, the Pandavas spent the one year as 'Agyantavasa' as servants of King Virata, ruler of Matsa.

Kalinga War

Earlier in the history, the Kalingas acquired a reputation for being fiercely independent people. 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 Kalingas to the mighty armies of Mauryan Empire. The Kalinga War took the lives of as many as 1,00,000 people. 1,50,000 were taken as prisoner of war, while about the same number died as a consequences of the war. Emperor Ashoka could not bear the horrendous slaughter caused by the war and therefore took up the path of non-violence and become the follower of Buddhism. Ashoka also took a great deal of interest in developing the art of stone masonry, Buddhist principles were engraved on the Dhauli and Jaugada rocks to teach the religious principles to the people.

Kahravela Dynasty

Mauryan rule over Kalinga did not last long. By the 1st century BC, Kalinga's Jain ruler Kharavela had become the pre-eminent monarch of much of the sub-continent and Mauryan Magadha had become a province of the Kalingan Empire. The earliest surviving monuments of Odisha (in Udaigiri near Bhubaneshwar) date from his reign, and surviving inscriptions mention that Prince Kharavela was trained not only in the military arts, but also in literature, mathematics, and the social sciences. He was also reputed to be a great patron of the arts and was credited with encouraging dance and theater in his capital.

The dynasties of Kahravela and Mahameghavahana was followed by several more like Satavahana Murunda family which ruled over parts of Bihar and Odisha and Nagas. Around the middle of the sixth century A.D. a chief named Ranadurjaya established his rule (known as Durjaya) 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 Odisha and later ruled by king Harsa Vardan in 7^th century A.D.

Divsions

Later regional heads became powerful and started ruling their territories known as Mandalas. 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.

Ganga Dynasty and Konark Temple

Ganga dynasty ruled the region from the 11th century. Their capital was known by the name Kalinganagar, which is the modern Srimukhalingam in Srikakulam District of Andhra Pradesh. During their reign (1076-1435) a new style of temple architecture based on Indo-Aryan architecture was initiated. This dynasty was founded by King Anantavarman Chodaganga Deva (1077-1147), who is credited for having built the famous Jagannath Temple of Puri. King Anantavarman Chodaganga deva was succeeded by a long line of illustrious rulers. Among them was Narasimhadeva I (1238-1264), who built the famous Sun Temple of Konark near Puri after defying attacks of the Muslim rulers.

Heroics of Mukundadeva

Mukundadeva came to the throne in 1559 by betrayal and slaughter. He belonged to the Chalukya family. In 1560 Mukundadeva defeated Sultan Ghiyasuddin Jallal Shah of Bengal who invaded Odisha and marched up to Jajpur. In 1567 Sultan Karrani invaded Odisha defeated Mukundadeva and asked him to fight against Ramachandra Bhanja. He was ultimately killed by Ramachandra Bhanja who later was killed by Bayazid and Odisha was conquered by the Afghans of Bengal in 1568 AD.

Mughal Rule

The Afghans were not great ruler and the Odisha was captured by Mughal Emperor Akbar in 1572. Akbar, true to his liberal policies and principles, paid respect to regional heads like Raja Ramachandra Deva-I of Khordha. In 1607 Cuttack was declared its capital during the rule of Akbar's son Jahangir. Odisha enjoyed this status till the end of the rule of the Great Mughals.

Maratha Rule

When the Mughal Empire began to decay, the Nazim of Bengal, Bihar and Odisha, Aliverdi Khan, became independent but was defeated by Marathas. The Maratha administration of Odisha functionally began from the year 1751. Maratha rule brought lot of developments into the region and helped the Oriya literature. They encouraged pilgrimage to Odisha from other parts of India, due to the increasing esteem and fame of the Jagannath Temple. The great festivals of Puri Rath Jatra received sufficient patronage.

British Rule

Odisha was under the regime of British rule after a treat with Marathas signed on 17 December 1803. Odisha was deformed and reduced in size left with only the three coastal districts of Baleshwar, Cuttack and Puri. The government was fail to meet the food demand during the great famine of Odisha in 1865-66, that led to a mortality of one million. Nearly one man in every three in Odisha died in the famine.

Freedom Struggles

Gandhiji's visit to Odisha in 1921 was a major success and his message touched the hearts of the rural mass as well as the elite of Odisha. Many of the renowned lawyers gave up their legal profession. Gopabandhu Choudhury, Surendra Nath Das, Madushudan Das and Muhammed Hanif gave up their government jobs. Pandit Nilakantha Das left the job of Calcutta University to serve in a national school. Odisha national movement was further strengthened by the visit of other great leaders like, Motital Nehru, Subhash Chandra Bose in 1922.

Modern Odisha

Odisha struggled to come out of poverty and illiteracy after the devastation caused by previous invasions. The province is now getting rapidly industrialized with huge foreign investments. It also has brilliant students who take of notch administrative positions in the Indian Government. With time, it is expected that the state will forget its past and become a rich province of India.