Kalinga (Mahabharata)

This article is about the kingdom of Kalinga in Indian epic literature. For the historical kingdom, see Kalinga (historical kingdom).

South Asia circa 500 BCE, with location of Kalinga.[1][2]

Kalinga is a kingdom described in the legendary Indian text Mahabharata.[3] They were a warrior clan who settled in and around the historical Kalinga region, present-day Odisha and northern parts of Andhra Pradesh. According to some scholars, the Kalinga janapada originally comprised the area covered by the Puri and Ganjam districts.[4] Janapada state in ancient India. Bhāratīya Vidyā Prakāśana. p. 78.

Kalinga clan warriors sided with Duryodhana in the Kurukshetra War due to matrimonial and harmony alliances between both kingdoms of Kalinga & Kuru existing even before the Great War of Mahabharata was to happen. Kalinga is the founders of five eastern kingdoms, which included: Angas (east, central Bihar), Vangas (southern West Bengal and Bangladesh), Udra (Odisha, East Madhya Pradesh and South Jharkhand), Pundras (western Bangladesh and West Bengal, India), Suhmas (north-western Bangladesh and West Bengal) shared common ancestry. Two capitals (Dantapura and Rajapura) of Kalinga were mentioned in Mahabharata. It is likely that there were many Kalinga kings, ruling different territories of Kalinga, with many migrated outside to form new kingdom.

Kalingas in Kurukshetra War

Kalingas were mentioned as allied to Kauravas at many places like at (5–62,95). Kalinga king Srutayudha also known as Srutayus and Srutayush, was one among the generals in the Kaurava army.(6,16). The generals of Kaurava army were:-

  1. Shakuni, a chief from Gandhara kingdom
  2. Shalya, the king of Madra kingdom
  3. Jayadratha, the king of Sindhu kingdom
  4. Vinda and Anuvinda, two brothers and kings of Avanti kingdom
  5. The Kekaya brothers from Kekeya kingdom (opposed the Kekayas on the Pandava side)
  6. Sudakshina the king of Kamboja kingdom
  7. Srutayudha the king of Kalinga Kingdom
  8. Jayatsena a king of Magadha kingdom
  9. Vrihadvala the king of Kosala kingdom
  10. Kritavarma, a Yadava chief from Anarta kingdom

Other references

  • A Kalinga princess named Karambha was wedded to Akrodhana a Puru king. Devatithi was their son. (1,95)
  • An ally of Karitkeya, generalissimo of Deva army is mentioned as Kalinga (9,45)

See also

References

  1. ^ Schwartzberg, Joseph E. (1978). A Historical atlas of South Asia. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. p. 145, map XIV.1 (d). ISBN 0226742210. Archived from the original on 24 February 2021. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
  2. ^ Content mirrored from this map
  3. ^ Annapurna Chattopadhyaya (2006). The people and culture of Odisa and Bengal, a study in origins. Firma K.L.M. p. 988. ISBN 978-81-7102-144-4. ...in the Mahabharata wherein the Kalingas have been included amongst the tribes...
  4. ^ Misra, Sudama (1973). Janapada State in Ancient India (PDF). Varanasi: Bharatiya Vidya Prakasana.

Further reading

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