Maritime history of Orissa
Encyclopedia
The Maritime history of Orissa , also known as Odisha or as Kalinga
in ancient times, started before 350 BC according to early sources. The people of this region of eastern India
along the coast of the Bay of Bengal
sailed up and down the Indian coast, and travelled to Indo China and throughout Maritime Southeast Asia
, introducing elements of their culture to the people with whom they traded. By 400 AD, Orissa was the hub of a trade network that stretched from the Roman Empire
to China. At one time the Bay of Bengal was known as Kalingodra, or the sea of Kalinga, due to the dominance of Oriya ships. The old traditions are still celebrated in the annual Bali Jatra
, or Boita-Bandana festival held for five days in October / November.
, including parts of modern West Bengal
, Orissa and Andhra Pradesh
. The navigable rivers, including the Ganga, Mahanadi
, Vamsadhara and Godavari provided access to the interior, where precious and semi-precious stones were found, and their deltas provided natural harbours. From these harbours, the people of the region traded by sea with Ceylon in the south, with Burma in the east, and further afield with the states of the Maritime Southeast Asia
, Indochina
and China. The maritime activity of Kalinga was so extensive that what is now called the Bay of Bengal
was once called the Sea of Kalinga.
The coastline is unstable. The southwest monsoon carries sediment along the coast, at times forming bars and spits that protect the harbours, at other times eroding the protective breakwaters. The rivers carry silt, extending their deltas and filling the former harbours.
For this reason, some of the ports named in ancient times are no longer in existence, or have greatly declined.
For example, the Chilika Lake was an important harbour, but later became unusable by deep water vessels due to silting.
Some of the ports mentioned by the geographer Ptolemy
in the 2nd century AD were Nanigaina (Puri
), Katikardama (Kataka) and Kannagara (Konarak
). Ptolemy did not refer to the important ports of Manikapatna, Palur
, Chelitalo
, Kalingapatnam
, Pithunda
and Khalkatapatna
.
Writing later in the 9th and 10th centuries AD, Arab
sources mention Orissa
, Ganjam
, Kalinganagar
, Keylkan, Al-Lava and Nubin.
After the 15th century, ports included Balasore
, Pipili
, Ganjam
, Harishapur, Chandabali
and Dhamra.
Excavations at Golbai Sasan have shown a Neolithic
culture dating to as early as c.2300 BC, followed by a Chalcolithic (copper age) culture and then an Iron age
culture starting around 900 BC.
Tools found at this site indicate boat building, perhaps for coastal trade.
Fish bones, fishing hooks, barbed spears and harpoons show that fishing was an important part of the economy.
Some artefacts of the Chalcolithic period are similar to artefacts found in Vietnam
, indicating possible contact with Indochina at a very early period.
The Brahmanda Purana
describes Chilika as a major harbour where thousands of ships came to trade, coming from Gangasagara, Burma, Malaya
, Siam, China, Sumatra
, Java
, Bali
, Borneo
and Ceylon.The purana says the ships were protected by sheets of cast copper and propelled by wheels attached to their bottoms driven by a steam engine. Bags that could contain air were inflated or deflated so that the ships could move above or below water.
Early historical sources record that Kalinga became subject to Magadha
in 362 BC, regained independence during a civil war in Magadha around 320 BC, but around 261 BC was conquered by the Maurya emperor Ashoka
(269 BC to 232 BC).
The site at Sisupalagarh, occupied from the 3rd century BC to the 4th century AD, has been identified with Tosali, the provincial capital of Ashoka, and with Kalinganagar
i, the capital city of Kalinga after it regained independence early in the 1st century BC.
The history of the following centuries is complex. At times the north and south of Kalinga were separate states, at times united. Sometimes Kalinga was independent, sometimes it was tributary to a more powerful neighbour.
The Bhauma-Kara dynasty ruled over Utkal
, as the northern and eastern part of Orissa was then known, from the 8th to 10th centuries AD.
These rulers paid tribute to Devapala
(810–850 AD), ruler of the Pala Empire
of Bengal
, but Utkal regained its independence from his successors.
For a period, the rulers of Utkal were forced to acknowledge the suzerainty of the Tamil
Chola dynasty
under their king Rajendra Chola I
(1012–1044), with whom they became allied by marriage.
After regaining independence, Anantavarma Chodagangadeva (1078–1191) established control over a wide region from the Ganga to the Godavari, moving his capital from Kalinganagar to Cuttack
.
The power of Orissa waxed and waned over the following centuries, but it was not until 1586 that Orissa finally lost its independence.
In ancient Orissa there were two types of trading ship, known as common ships and special ships, with the common ships in turn divided into ten categories, and the special ships into two: high and wide ships and long and wide ships. The ships were 8 to 80 meters long, 5 to 25 meters wide, and 3 to 27 meters high.
Rules and regulations regarding construction of ships were recorded in the Sanskrit
Juktikalpataru.
The Madalapanji records that king Bhoja built many ships with local wood.
The recovery of many woodworking adzes and other artefacts from Chilika Lake shows that Golabai
was a boat-building center.
Terracotta seals from Bangarh and Chandraketugarh
(400 BC to 100 BC) depict sea going vessels carrying containing corn. The ships have a single mast with a square sail.
The earliest depiction of ships in Orissa is in a sculptured frieze showing two ships, found near the Brahmeswar temple, Bhubaneswar
, and now preserved in the Orissa State Museum. The first ship has standing elephants in the front part, two people seated in the center and two sailor with oars at the rear steering the ship.
s blow from the southwest, from Ceylon towards Kalinga. From December to early March, the retreating monsoons blow in the reverse direction.
Southeast Asia has similar seasonal wind patterns.
Over Indonesia, in July and August the winds blow from Australia in a northwesterly direction, shifting towards a northeasterly direction as they cross the equator. The pattern reverses during January and February.
Early navigators would have exploited these seasonal winds, navigating by the stars, the color of the water, the presence of sea snakes, and observation of the flights of sea crows and other homing birds.
The ships of Kalinga were not able to make long sea voyages without stopping along the way for food and water. Ships outbound from Tamralipti would have followed the Burmese coast, stopping at the Nicobar islands
, a one month journey. From there, they continued to the southeast, then sailed down the Malay Peninsula
and through the strait of Malacca
, and onward to Java or Bali, or headed northeast to Indochina or China.
An alternative route was southward down the coast of India, perhaps stopping in Ceylon, then southeast to Sumatra
.
, near the Rushikulya River in the Ganjam district
, was an important port in the 2nd century AD.
Archaeological exploration has unearthed fragments of Chinese celadon
ware, Roman
rouletted pottery
and amphora
pieces, showing that the port carried out significant international trade.
An unusual medallion has a Kushana-style king with a Brahmi
inscription on one side, and a Roman head with a Roman inscription on the other.
A Roman coin of the emperor Tiberius
has been found at Salihundam
, and other Roman coins have been found at other sites, giving further evidence of trade with the Roman Empire.
Trade with Southeast Asia was established by the 1st century AD, and may have much earlier origins. Later findings include 12th century Ceylonese coins and 14th century Chinese coins. Similar coins from Kotchina in Sumatra
point to a triangular trade between Orissa, Ceylon and Sumatra. Trading was not without risks. The kings of Kalinga, Siam and Java
had to periodically mount expeditions to put down Malay and Bugis
pirates operating in the Straits of Malacca and throughout Maritime Southeast Asia.
Manikapatna was a port on the banks of Chilika that flourished from early historical times until the 19th century AD. Excavations have found many types of pottery from different parts of India, and coins from Ceylon and China. The more modern levels contain Chinese celadon and porcelain, and Arabic glazed pottery. An 18th century Mosque has an inscription saying sailors and traders prayed there before setting out on their voyages.
According to a 6th century AD source, Kalinga was famous for its elephants, for which it found a market in Ceylon, along with precious stones, ivory, pepper, betel nuts and fine textiles. In return, Kalinga imported pearl and silver from Ceylon.
Corn and rice were also exported.
Traders imported spices and sandalwood from the east, some if it destined for onward transport to the Mediterranean market.
A boat depicted in the Sun Temple of Konarak
in the 13th century contains a giraffe, indicating trade with Africa, presumably carried on Arab vessels.
, the Arakan River valley and Pegu, around the gulf of Martaban.
The remains of a ship excavated at Tante, near Yangon
is thought to have belonged to Kalingan traders.
Place names and similarities in architecture also indicate close contacts across the gulf of Bengal.
The Buddhagat, the sacred scripture of Burma, describes trade with the Buddhist merchants of Kalinga, leading to missionaries coming to propagate the faith, and then to political domination of parts of coastal Burma by Kalinga during the 4th to 7th centuries AD. Coins with Hindu symbols found in Pegu confirm this contact.
According to R.D. Banarjee, Hindu
s from Kalinga took a leading role in establishing Hindu culture in Java
.
An expedition from Kalinga established a colony in Java in 75 BC.
According to legend, there were 20,000 colonists, although this number seems implausible.
These immigrants may have introduced the Hindu
religion, which was established throughout the island by the 4th century AD.
Chinese historians use the name Ho-Ling (Kalinga) for the leading kingdom of Java in the Tang period (618–906 AD). This kingdom may have been founded by new colonists, or may reflect the rise of the earlier colony to power.
Arab historians described the 8th century AD Sailendra
dynasty of Java as originating from Kalinga, and said that Sailendra was also powerful in Cambodia and Champa (Annam).
A copper plate inscription dated 840 AD says the servants of the inner palace of King Kuti of Java came from Champa and Kalinga.
An inscription of the King Airlangga of Java (1019–1042 AD) says people came to his kingdom from Kling (Kalinga) among other places.
appears to have started before the Christian Era.
Bali had many products that were attractive to Kalinga's traders, including cinnamon, long pepper, white pepper and cardamon, pearls and gems, silk, camphor, bees wax and sandalwood. Traders from Kalinga brought muslin and other fine cloths, rugs, brocade, armour, gold and jewellery.
There is a tradition that the first ruler of Bali was an Indian named Kaudinya, around 600 AD, and this name later became the title for future rulers.
It is possible that the island is named after Bali
, a legendary king of Orissa.
Traditional masked dances that are performed in Orissa and Bali for the purpose of removing evils and bringing good fortune have many similarities that point to ancient cultural exchanges.
The trade began to decline in the 8th century AD, as Arabs became the predominant maritime power in the region.
The festival of "Bali Jatra
", or "Journey to Bali", is still celebrated throughout coastal Orissa in memory of the ancient trading links.
The kings welcomed Buddhist missionaries from India, accepting their teaching of the Mahayana
sect, which spread through their territories. However, central and northeastern Thailand continued to adhere to the Hinayana
teachings of the Theravada
sect, which had been introduced by missionaries sent by the emperor Ashoka in the 3rd century BC.
Another theory of the introduction of Buddhism to the Malay peninsula is that after Kalinga conquered lower Burma in the 8th century their influence gradually spread down the peninsula.
The Malayu
language contains many words derived from the Oriya language
.
In modern Malaysia, Indians are commonly called Klings, a name showing the original influence of Kalinga.
Emigrants from Kalinga came to Cambodia in the 3rd century BC, fleeing from the emperor Asoka.
However, after Asoka had converted to Buddhism and sent missionaries to Cambodia, they accepted the teachings and helped establish the religion in the region.
The early monuments of the Khmers (of modern Cambodia) appear to be of Andhra origin rather than from Kalinga.
However, although some of the inscriptions at Angkor Wat
in Cambodia are in Sanskrit, others are in the Kalinga script.
The design of the Angkor Wat temple shows influences from Orissa and the Chola of Tamil Nadu
.
The Chinese pilgrim Hieun Tsang (645 CE) tells of sea voyages from the ports of Tamralipta
(modern Tamluk
) and Chelitalo to Simhala (modern Sri Lanka
) and China.
A former king of Odra (Orissa) named Subhakararisha, who had abdicated in order to become a monk, voyaged to China in 716 AD. and introduced Tantric Buddhism.
There is an account of the carriage by sea in 794 AD of a present by the King of Udra to the Emperor of China.
Orissa imported silk from China, and a Chinese coin from the 8th century has been found at Sirpur
.
Between 813 and 818, three missions were sent from the Javanese nation of Kalinga to the court of Hsien Tung in China, bringing rarities such as a live rhinoceros, a five-coloured parrot and some black boys and girls from East Africa.
Kalinga had strong ties with Simhala (Sri Lanka
).
Some scholars say that the first king of Simhala, Vijaya, came from Simhapura in eastern India, the capital of Kalinga, and that his grandmother was the daughter of the king of Kalinga. The emperor Ashoka sent his son to Ceylon to establish Buddhism, and later sent his daughter Sanghamitra to organise the nuns. The Samantapasadika
says that she was accompanied by eight families from Kalinga. The Dathavamsa talks of the friendship between king Guhasiva of Kalinga and king Mahasena
of Ceylon (277 – 304 AD). It also talks of the king of Kalinga giving the tooth relic
of Gautama Buddha
as a dowry to Dantakumara on his marriage to the kings daughter. Dantakumara took the relic to Ceylon where it was enshrined in a stupa
.
Hinayanic
Buddhism flowered in Ceylon in the 4th and 5th centuries AD, and the influence of scholars from Ceylon spread through Burma, Siam and Cambodia, establishing the beliefs and practices that continue in these countries today. Kalinga was also strongly affected by Ceylonese culture, in particular by the Theravada
teachings of Buddhaghosa
, since it lay on the route followed by pilgrims from Ceylon visiting holy places in India. Pilgrims from Kalinga sailed to Ceylon to honour the sacred tooth and visit the monasteries. The Chinese pilgrim Hieun Tsang describes these sea voyages from the port of Tamralipta and Chelitalo to Simhala.
According to the Chulavamsa, the king of Kalinga visited Ceylon during the reign of Aggabodhi II (610–611 AD). King Vijayabahu I
of Ceylon (1055–1110 AD) married the daughter of the king of Kalinga. Nissanka Malla, son of king Gaparaja of Kalinga became ruler of Ceylon (1187–1196 AD). A prince of Kalinga named Magha
invaded Ceylon with a fleet carrying 24,000 soldiers and ruled the island from 1214 to 1235 AD.
During the rule of Kapilendradeva
(1435–1466 AD) the independent Oriya state established political supremacy over a vast territory outside the limits of geographical Orissa, ruling from the Ganges to Arcot in the south. His successors retained their hold over an extensive territory. During the rule of Prataprudradeva, from 1497 AD to 1541 AD, the kingdom extended from the Hooghly and Midnapore districts of West Bengal to the Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh.
Arabian sailors began to intrude into the Bay of Bengal as early as the 8th century, and later Portuguese, Dutch, English and French ships became dominant, reducing the sailors of Orissa to the coastal trade.
In 1586, the Muslim ruler of Bengal, Sulaiman Khan Karrani
succeeded in conquering the land, ending its independence.
Orissa was subsequently ceded to the Maratha
s in 1751, and came under British rule during the Second Anglo-Maratha War
(1803–1805).
Orissa lost much of her maritime trade during the British period (1803–1947).
However, the Oriyas
stil recall their ancient tradition during their festival of Boita-Vandana, which is approved by the Orissan school of Dharmasastra
.
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...
in ancient times, started before 350 BC according to early sources. The people of this region of eastern 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...
along the coast of the Bay of Bengal
Bay of Bengal
The Bay of Bengal , the largest bay in the world, forms the northeastern part of the Indian Ocean. It resembles a triangle in shape, and is bordered mostly by the Eastern Coast of India, southern coast of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka to the west and Burma and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands to the...
sailed up and down the Indian coast, and travelled to Indo China and throughout Maritime Southeast Asia
Maritime Southeast Asia
Maritime Southeast Asia refers to the maritime region of Southeast Asia as opposed to mainland Southeast Asia and includes the modern countries of Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Brunei, East Timor and Singapore....
, introducing elements of their culture to the people with whom they traded. By 400 AD, Orissa was the hub of a trade network that stretched from the Roman Empire
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
to China. At one time the Bay of Bengal was known as Kalingodra, or the sea of Kalinga, due to the dominance of Oriya ships. The old traditions are still celebrated in the annual Bali Jatra
Bali Jatra
Bālijātrā Bālijātrā Bālijātrā (also bōita bandāṇa literally means "journey to Bali".This festival is held in Orissa,in the city of Cuttack at "Gadagadia ghata" of the Mahanadi river, to mark the day when ancient Sadhabas (Oriya mariners) would set sail to distant lands of Bali, as well as Java,...
, or Boita-Bandana festival held for five days in October / November.
Location
Located on the eastern coast of India, the ancient state of Kalinga extended from the Ganga to the Godavari RiverGodavari River
The Godavari is a river that runs from western to southern India and is considered to be one of the big river basins in India. With a length of 1465 km, it is the second longest river in India , that runs within the country and also the longest river in South India...
, including parts of modern West Bengal
West Bengal
West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...
, Orissa and 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...
. The navigable rivers, including the Ganga, Mahanadi
Mahanadi River
The Mahanadi in East Central India. It drains an area of around 141,600 km2 and has a total course of 858 km. The river flows through the states of Chhattisgarh and Orissa.-Source:...
, Vamsadhara and Godavari provided access to the interior, where precious and semi-precious stones were found, and their deltas provided natural harbours. From these harbours, the people of the region traded by sea with Ceylon in the south, with Burma in the east, and further afield with the states of the Maritime Southeast Asia
Maritime Southeast Asia
Maritime Southeast Asia refers to the maritime region of Southeast Asia as opposed to mainland Southeast Asia and includes the modern countries of Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Brunei, East Timor and Singapore....
, Indochina
Indochina
The Indochinese peninsula, is a region in Southeast Asia. It lies roughly southwest of China, and east of India. The name has its origins in the French, Indochine, as a combination of the names of "China" and "India", and was adopted when French colonizers in Vietnam began expanding their territory...
and China. The maritime activity of Kalinga was so extensive that what is now called the Bay of Bengal
Bay of Bengal
The Bay of Bengal , the largest bay in the world, forms the northeastern part of the Indian Ocean. It resembles a triangle in shape, and is bordered mostly by the Eastern Coast of India, southern coast of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka to the west and Burma and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands to the...
was once called the Sea of Kalinga.
The coastline is unstable. The southwest monsoon carries sediment along the coast, at times forming bars and spits that protect the harbours, at other times eroding the protective breakwaters. The rivers carry silt, extending their deltas and filling the former harbours.
For this reason, some of the ports named in ancient times are no longer in existence, or have greatly declined.
For example, the Chilika Lake was an important harbour, but later became unusable by deep water vessels due to silting.
Some of the ports mentioned by the geographer 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...
in the 2nd century AD were Nanigaina (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...
), Katikardama (Kataka) and Kannagara (Konarak
Konarak
Konarak may refer to:*Konarak, Iran, a city in the Sistan va Baluchestan Province of Iran*Konarak County, an administrative subdivision of Iran*Konarak, an alternative spelling for the Indian city of Konark...
). Ptolemy did not refer to the important ports of Manikapatna, Palur
Palur
Palur is a small village in Kanchipuram district. Suburban trains running between Chennai Beach - Chengalpattu - Tirumalpur section and Chengalpattu - Arakkonam section will stop here at Palur railway station...
, Chelitalo
Chelitalo
Chelitalo was an important port in Ancient Orissa, in northeast India, lying on the Chandrabhaga river in Konark.In ancient times, the Chandrabhaga and Kushabhadra rivers were navigable, and may have been used for the shipping of huge blocks of stone for the construction of the Konark Sun...
, Kalingapatnam
Kalingapatnam
-History:Kalingapatnam is a panchayat and mandal headquarters located in Srikakulam district, where the River Vamsadhara meets the Bay of Bengal and It is one of the safe and clean beach resorts in North Andhra....
, Pithunda
Pithunda
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....
and Khalkatapatna
Khalkatapatna
Khalkatapatna was a sea port in what is now the state of Orissa on the eastern seaboard of India.The site is on the left bank of the Kushabhadra River.It was a port town during the Ganga dynasty ....
.
Writing later in the 9th and 10th centuries AD, Arab
Arab
Arab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...
sources mention 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...
, Ganjam
Ganjam
Ganjam is a town and a notified area committee in Ganjam district in the state of Orissa, India.-Geography:Ganjam is located at . It has an average elevation of 3 metres .-Demographics:...
, Kalinganagar
Kalinganagar
Kalinganagar is a small town in Jajpur district of coastal Orissa, India, a region influenced by the Naxalite movement. It is rich in iron ore. Recently, because of high global demand for steel, Kalinganagar is becoming a major global hub in steel and ancillary products...
, Keylkan, Al-Lava and Nubin.
After the 15th century, ports included 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...
, Pipili
Pipili
Pipili is a town and a notified area committee under jurisdiction of Puri district in the Indian state of Orissa. It is famous for designing beautiful Applique handicrafts.-Geography:Pipili is located at...
, Ganjam
Ganjam
Ganjam is a town and a notified area committee in Ganjam district in the state of Orissa, India.-Geography:Ganjam is located at . It has an average elevation of 3 metres .-Demographics:...
, Harishapur, Chandabali
Chandabali
Chandabali is a community in the Bhadrak district of Orissa on the bank of the River Baitarani, and a tourist destination for visitors to the Bhitarkanika Wildlife Sanctuary.-History:...
and Dhamra.
Early history
Excavations at Golbai Sasan have shown a Neolithic
Neolithic
The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...
culture dating to as early as c.2300 BC, followed by a Chalcolithic (copper age) culture and then an Iron age
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...
culture starting around 900 BC.
Tools found at this site indicate boat building, perhaps for coastal trade.
Fish bones, fishing hooks, barbed spears and harpoons show that fishing was an important part of the economy.
Some artefacts of the Chalcolithic period are similar to artefacts found in 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 –...
, indicating possible contact with Indochina at a very early period.
The Brahmanda Purana
Brahmanda Purana
The Brahmanda Purana is one of the eighteen Mahapuranas, a genre of eighteen Hindu religious texts and has been assigned the eighteenth place in almost all the lists of the Puranas.Brahma in Sanskrit means "the biggest", anda/andam means globe...
describes Chilika as a major harbour where thousands of ships came to trade, coming from Gangasagara, Burma, Malaya
Malay Peninsula
The Malay Peninsula or Thai-Malay Peninsula is a peninsula in Southeast Asia. The land mass runs approximately north-south and, at its terminus, is the southern-most point of the Asian mainland...
, Siam, China, 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...
, Java
Java
Java is an island of Indonesia. With a population of 135 million , it is the world's most populous island, and one of the most densely populated regions in the world. It is home to 60% of Indonesia's population. The Indonesian capital city, Jakarta, is in west Java...
, 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...
, Borneo
Borneo
Borneo is the third largest island in the world and is located north of Java Island, Indonesia, at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia....
and Ceylon.The purana says the ships were protected by sheets of cast copper and propelled by wheels attached to their bottoms driven by a steam engine. Bags that could contain air were inflated or deflated so that the ships could move above or below water.
Early historical sources record that Kalinga became subject to Magadha
Magadha
Magadha formed one of the sixteen Mahājanapadas or kingdoms in ancient India. The core of the kingdom was the area of Bihar south of the Ganga; its first capital was Rajagriha then Pataliputra...
in 362 BC, regained independence during a civil war in Magadha around 320 BC, but around 261 BC was conquered by the Maurya emperor Ashoka
Ashoka
Ashok Maurya or Ashoka , popularly known as Ashoka the Great, was an Indian emperor of the Maurya Dynasty who ruled almost all of the Indian subcontinent from ca. 269 BC to 232 BC. One of India's greatest emperors, Ashoka reigned over most of present-day India after a number of military conquests...
(269 BC to 232 BC).
The site at Sisupalagarh, occupied from the 3rd century BC to the 4th century AD, has been identified with Tosali, the provincial capital of Ashoka, and with Kalinganagar
Kalinganagar
Kalinganagar is a small town in Jajpur district of coastal Orissa, India, a region influenced by the Naxalite movement. It is rich in iron ore. Recently, because of high global demand for steel, Kalinganagar is becoming a major global hub in steel and ancillary products...
i, the capital city of Kalinga after it regained independence early in the 1st century BC.
The history of the following centuries is complex. At times the north and south of Kalinga were separate states, at times united. Sometimes Kalinga was independent, sometimes it was tributary to a more powerful neighbour.
Utkala Kingdom
Utkala Kingdom was located in the northern and eastern portion of the modern-day Indian state of Orissa. This kingdom was mentioned in the epic Mahabharata, with the names Utkala, Utpala, Okkal and Odra desha...
, as the northern and eastern part of Orissa was then known, from the 8th to 10th centuries AD.
These rulers paid tribute to Devapala
Devapala
Deva Pala , was a powerful emperor from the Pala Empire of Bengal region in the Indian Subcontinent. He was the third king in the line and had succeeded his father, emperor Dharamapala...
(810–850 AD), ruler of the Pala Empire
Pala Empire
The Pāla Empire was one of the major middle kingdoms of India existed from 750–1174 CE. It was ruled by a Buddhist dynasty from Bengal in the eastern region of the Indian subcontinent, all the rulers bearing names ending with the suffix Pala , which means protector. The Palas were often described...
of Bengal
Bengal
Bengal is a historical and geographical region in the northeast region of the Indian Subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. Today, it is mainly divided between the sovereign land of People's Republic of Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal, although some regions of the previous...
, but Utkal regained its independence from his successors.
For a period, the rulers of Utkal were forced to acknowledge the suzerainty of 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,...
Chola dynasty
Chola Dynasty
The Chola dynasty was a Tamil dynasty which was one of the longest-ruling in some parts of southern India. The earliest datable references to this Tamil dynasty are in inscriptions from the 3rd century BC left by Asoka, of Maurya Empire; the dynasty continued to govern over varying territory until...
under their king Rajendra Chola I
Rajendra Chola I
Rajendra Chola I was the son of Rajaraja Chola I and was one of the greatest rulers of Tamil Chola dynasty of India. He succeeded his father in 1014 CE as the Chola emperor...
(1012–1044), with whom they became allied by marriage.
After regaining independence, Anantavarma Chodagangadeva (1078–1191) established control over a wide region from the Ganga to the Godavari, moving his capital from Kalinganagar to 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...
.
The power of Orissa waxed and waned over the following centuries, but it was not until 1586 that Orissa finally lost its independence.
Ships
In ancient Orissa there were two types of trading ship, known as common ships and special ships, with the common ships in turn divided into ten categories, and the special ships into two: high and wide ships and long and wide ships. The ships were 8 to 80 meters long, 5 to 25 meters wide, and 3 to 27 meters high.
Rules and regulations regarding construction of ships were recorded in the Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
Juktikalpataru.
The Madalapanji records that king Bhoja built many ships with local wood.
The recovery of many woodworking adzes and other artefacts from Chilika Lake shows that Golabai
Golabai
Golabai Sasan is a village in Khurda District, Orissa, India at .It is known for its medieval temple architecture. This settlement site is located on the north bank of the Malaguni River, North of Chilika lake....
was a boat-building center.
Terracotta seals from Bangarh and Chandraketugarh
Chandraketugarh
Chandraketugarh is an archaeological site located beside the Bidyadhari river, about 35 km north-east of Kolkata, India, in the district of North 24 parganas, near the township of Berachampa and the Haroa Road railhead....
(400 BC to 100 BC) depict sea going vessels carrying containing corn. The ships have a single mast with a square sail.
The earliest depiction of ships in Orissa is in a sculptured frieze showing two ships, found near the Brahmeswar temple, Bhubaneswar
Bhubaneswar
Bhubaneswar is the capital of the Indian state of Orissa, officially Odisha. The city has a long history of over 2000 years starting with Chedi dynasty who had Sisupalgarh near present-day Bhubaneswar as their capital...
, and now preserved in the Orissa State Museum. The first ship has standing elephants in the front part, two people seated in the center and two sailor with oars at the rear steering the ship.
Sea routes
From June to September the summer monsoonMonsoon
Monsoon is traditionally defined as a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation, but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with the asymmetric heating of land and sea...
s blow from the southwest, from Ceylon towards Kalinga. From December to early March, the retreating monsoons blow in the reverse direction.
Southeast Asia has similar seasonal wind patterns.
Over Indonesia, in July and August the winds blow from Australia in a northwesterly direction, shifting towards a northeasterly direction as they cross the equator. The pattern reverses during January and February.
Early navigators would have exploited these seasonal winds, navigating by the stars, the color of the water, the presence of sea snakes, and observation of the flights of sea crows and other homing birds.
The ships of Kalinga were not able to make long sea voyages without stopping along the way for food and water. Ships outbound from Tamralipti would have followed the Burmese coast, stopping at the Nicobar islands
Nicobar Islands
The Nicobar Islands are an archipelagic island chain in the eastern Indian Ocean...
, a one month journey. From there, they continued to the southeast, then sailed down the Malay Peninsula
Malay Peninsula
The Malay Peninsula or Thai-Malay Peninsula is a peninsula in Southeast Asia. The land mass runs approximately north-south and, at its terminus, is the southern-most point of the Asian mainland...
and through the strait of Malacca
Strait of Malacca
The Strait of Malacca is a narrow, stretch of water between the Malay Peninsula and the Indonesian island of Sumatra. It is named after the Malacca Sultanate that ruled over the archipelago between 1414 to 1511.-Extent:...
, and onward to Java or Bali, or headed northeast to Indochina or China.
An alternative route was southward down the coast of India, perhaps stopping in Ceylon, then southeast to 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...
.
Trade
PalurPalur
Palur is a small village in Kanchipuram district. Suburban trains running between Chennai Beach - Chengalpattu - Tirumalpur section and Chengalpattu - Arakkonam section will stop here at Palur railway station...
, near the Rushikulya River in the Ganjam district
Ganjam District
Ganjam district is a district in the Indian state of Orissa located on the border of Andhra Pradesh. Ganjam's total area is 8,070 km² . Its population is approximately 2,704,056.Ganjam is known for its beaches bordering the Bay of Bengal, the most famous ones being Gopalpur and Dhavaleshwar...
, was an important port in the 2nd century AD.
Archaeological exploration has unearthed fragments of Chinese celadon
Celadon
Celadon is a term for ceramics denoting both a type of glaze and a ware of a specific color, also called celadon. This type of ware was invented in ancient China, such as in the Zhejiang province...
ware, Roman
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
rouletted pottery
Ancient Roman pottery
Pottery was produced in enormous quantities in ancient Rome, mostly for utilitarian purposes. It is found all over the former Roman Empire and beyond...
and amphora
Amphora
An amphora is a type of vase-shaped, usually ceramic container with two handles and a long neck narrower than the body...
pieces, showing that the port carried out significant international trade.
An unusual medallion has a Kushana-style king with a Brahmi
Brahmi
Brāhmī is the modern name given to the oldest members of the Brahmic family of scripts. The best-known Brāhmī inscriptions are the rock-cut edicts of Ashoka in north-central India, dated to the 3rd century BCE. These are traditionally considered to be early known examples of Brāhmī writing...
inscription on one side, and a Roman head with a Roman inscription on the other.
A Roman coin of the emperor Tiberius
Tiberius
Tiberius , was Roman Emperor from 14 AD to 37 AD. Tiberius was by birth a Claudian, son of Tiberius Claudius Nero and Livia Drusilla. His mother divorced Nero and married Augustus in 39 BC, making him a step-son of Octavian...
has been found at Salihundam
Salihundam
Salihundam is a village and panchayat in Gara Mandal of Srikakulam district in Andhra Pradesh, India.It is a famous Buddhist Remnants site situated on the south bank of River Vamsadhara at a distance of 5 kilometers west of Kalingapatnam and 18 kilometers from Srikakulam town.It was known as...
, and other Roman coins have been found at other sites, giving further evidence of trade with the Roman Empire.
Trade with Southeast Asia was established by the 1st century AD, and may have much earlier origins. Later findings include 12th century Ceylonese coins and 14th century Chinese coins. Similar coins from Kotchina in 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...
point to a triangular trade between Orissa, Ceylon and Sumatra. Trading was not without risks. The kings of Kalinga, Siam and Java
Java
Java is an island of Indonesia. With a population of 135 million , it is the world's most populous island, and one of the most densely populated regions in the world. It is home to 60% of Indonesia's population. The Indonesian capital city, Jakarta, is in west Java...
had to periodically mount expeditions to put down Malay and Bugis
Bugis
The Bugis are the most numerous of the three major linguistic and ethnic groups of South Sulawesi, the southwestern province of Sulawesi, Indonesia's third largest island. Although many Bugis live in the large port cities of Makassar and Parepare, the majority are farmers who grow wet rice on the...
pirates operating in the Straits of Malacca and throughout Maritime Southeast Asia.
Manikapatna was a port on the banks of Chilika that flourished from early historical times until the 19th century AD. Excavations have found many types of pottery from different parts of India, and coins from Ceylon and China. The more modern levels contain Chinese celadon and porcelain, and Arabic glazed pottery. An 18th century Mosque has an inscription saying sailors and traders prayed there before setting out on their voyages.
According to a 6th century AD source, Kalinga was famous for its elephants, for which it found a market in Ceylon, along with precious stones, ivory, pepper, betel nuts and fine textiles. In return, Kalinga imported pearl and silver from Ceylon.
Corn and rice were also exported.
Traders imported spices and sandalwood from the east, some if it destined for onward transport to the Mediterranean market.
A boat depicted in the Sun Temple of Konarak
Konark Sun Temple
Konark Sun Temple is a 13th-century Sun Temple , at Konark, in Orissa. It was constructed from oxidized and weathered ferruginous sandstone by King Narasimhadeva I of the Eastern Ganga Dynasty. The temple is an example of Orissan architecture of Ganga dynasty...
in the 13th century contains a giraffe, indicating trade with Africa, presumably carried on Arab vessels.
Burma
Burma went by the name of Kalingarat (Kalinga Rastra) in the 7th century BC, and there is evidence of very early settlement in the southern Mon portion. By the 2nd century AD, the Kalingans were ruling KalaymyoKalaymyo
Kalaymyo , also known as Karlaymyo, is a town in the Sagaing Division of Burma. It is located upstream from Mandalay and Monywa on the Myittha River, a tributary of the Chindwin River. The town is the district headquarters of the Kalay District...
, the Arakan River valley and Pegu, around the gulf of Martaban.
The remains of a ship excavated at Tante, near Yangon
Yangon
Yangon is a former capital of Burma and the capital of Yangon Region . Although the military government has officially relocated the capital to Naypyidaw since March 2006, Yangon, with a population of over four million, continues to be the country's largest city and the most important commercial...
is thought to have belonged to Kalingan traders.
Place names and similarities in architecture also indicate close contacts across the gulf of Bengal.
The Buddhagat, the sacred scripture of Burma, describes trade with the Buddhist merchants of Kalinga, leading to missionaries coming to propagate the faith, and then to political domination of parts of coastal Burma by Kalinga during the 4th to 7th centuries AD. Coins with Hindu symbols found in Pegu confirm this contact.
Java
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
s from Kalinga took a leading role in establishing Hindu culture in Java
Java
Java is an island of Indonesia. With a population of 135 million , it is the world's most populous island, and one of the most densely populated regions in the world. It is home to 60% of Indonesia's population. The Indonesian capital city, Jakarta, is in west Java...
.
An expedition from Kalinga established a colony in Java in 75 BC.
According to legend, there were 20,000 colonists, although this number seems implausible.
These immigrants may have introduced the Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
religion, which was established throughout the island by the 4th century AD.
Chinese historians use the name Ho-Ling (Kalinga) for the leading kingdom of Java in the Tang period (618–906 AD). This kingdom may have been founded by new colonists, or may reflect the rise of the earlier colony to power.
Arab historians described the 8th century AD Sailendra
Sailendra
Sailendra is the name of an influential Indonesian dynasty that emerged in 8th century Java.The Sailendras were active promoters of Mahayana Buddhism and covered the Kedu Plain of Central Java with Buddhist monuments, including the world famous Borobudur.The Sailendras are considered to be a...
dynasty of Java as originating from Kalinga, and said that Sailendra was also powerful in Cambodia and Champa (Annam).
A copper plate inscription dated 840 AD says the servants of the inner palace of King Kuti of Java came from Champa and Kalinga.
An inscription of the King Airlangga of Java (1019–1042 AD) says people came to his kingdom from Kling (Kalinga) among other places.
Bali
Trade with BaliBali
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...
appears to have started before the Christian Era.
Bali had many products that were attractive to Kalinga's traders, including cinnamon, long pepper, white pepper and cardamon, pearls and gems, silk, camphor, bees wax and sandalwood. Traders from Kalinga brought muslin and other fine cloths, rugs, brocade, armour, gold and jewellery.
There is a tradition that the first ruler of Bali was an Indian named Kaudinya, around 600 AD, and this name later became the title for future rulers.
It is possible that the island is named after Bali
Mahabali
Mahabali , also known as Bali or Māveli was a benevolent Asura King, and the grandson of Prahlada. The festival of Onam commemorates his yearly homecoming after being sent down to the underworld by Vamana, the fifth avatar of Vishnu.-Conquest of the Universe and banishment:Bali, an asura, was the...
, a legendary king of Orissa.
Traditional masked dances that are performed in Orissa and Bali for the purpose of removing evils and bringing good fortune have many similarities that point to ancient cultural exchanges.
The trade began to decline in the 8th century AD, as Arabs became the predominant maritime power in the region.
The festival of "Bali Jatra
Bali Jatra
Bālijātrā Bālijātrā Bālijātrā (also bōita bandāṇa literally means "journey to Bali".This festival is held in Orissa,in the city of Cuttack at "Gadagadia ghata" of the Mahanadi river, to mark the day when ancient Sadhabas (Oriya mariners) would set sail to distant lands of Bali, as well as Java,...
", or "Journey to Bali", is still celebrated throughout coastal Orissa in memory of the ancient trading links.
Malay peninsula
Through energetic maritime campaigns, the Sailendra kings of Java were able to take control of the Malay Peninsula and part of southern Thailand.The kings welcomed Buddhist missionaries from India, accepting their teaching of the Mahayana
Mahayana
Mahāyāna is one of the two main existing branches of Buddhism and a term for classification of Buddhist philosophies and practice...
sect, which spread through their territories. However, central and northeastern Thailand continued to adhere to the Hinayana
Hinayana
Hīnayāna is a Sanskrit and Pāli term literally meaning: the "Inferior Vehicle", "Deficient Vehicle", the "Abandoned Vehicle", or the "Defective Vehicle". The term appeared around the 1st or 2nd century....
teachings of the Theravada
Theravada
Theravada ; literally, "the Teaching of the Elders" or "the Ancient Teaching", is the oldest surviving Buddhist school. It was founded in India...
sect, which had been introduced by missionaries sent by the emperor Ashoka in the 3rd century BC.
Another theory of the introduction of Buddhism to the Malay peninsula is that after Kalinga conquered lower Burma in the 8th century their influence gradually spread down the peninsula.
The Malayu
Malay language
Malay is a major language of the Austronesian family. It is the official language of Malaysia , Indonesia , Brunei and Singapore...
language contains many words derived from the Oriya language
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...
.
In modern Malaysia, Indians are commonly called Klings, a name showing the original influence of Kalinga.
Cambodia
However, after Asoka had converted to Buddhism and sent missionaries to Cambodia, they accepted the teachings and helped establish the religion in the region.
The early monuments of the Khmers (of modern Cambodia) appear to be of Andhra origin rather than from Kalinga.
However, although some of the inscriptions 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,...
in Cambodia are in Sanskrit, others are in the Kalinga script.
The design of the Angkor Wat temple shows influences from Orissa and the Chola of Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
.
China
The first record of trade with China is found in the account of Fa Hien (399–411 AD) who sailed in a merchant vessel from the port of Temralipti back to China.The Chinese pilgrim Hieun Tsang (645 CE) tells of sea voyages from the ports of Tamralipta
Tamralipta
Tamralipta or Tamralipti was the name of an ancient city on the Bay of Bengal believed by scholars to be on the site of Tamluk in modern-day India.-References:...
(modern Tamluk
Tamluk
Tamluk is the district headquarters of Purba Medinipur district of West Bengal, India. Though there is some controversy, scholars have generally agreed that present day Tamluk is the site of the ancient city variously known as Tamralipta or Tamralipti...
) and Chelitalo to Simhala (modern 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...
) and China.
A former king of Odra (Orissa) named Subhakararisha, who had abdicated in order to become a monk, voyaged to China in 716 AD. and introduced Tantric Buddhism.
There is an account of the carriage by sea in 794 AD of a present by the King of Udra to the Emperor of China.
Orissa imported silk from China, and a Chinese coin from the 8th century has been found at Sirpur
Sirpur
Sirpur or Sirpur-Tandura is a town and a Mandal in Adilabad district in the state of Andhra Pradesh in India.Sirpur is a mandal and town in Adilabad district in the state of Andhra Pradesh. Sirpur is a thousand year old village famous for the Sirpur paper mills. The main source of income of the...
.
Between 813 and 818, three missions were sent from the Javanese nation of Kalinga to the court of Hsien Tung in China, bringing rarities such as a live rhinoceros, a five-coloured parrot and some black boys and girls from East Africa.
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...
).
Some scholars say that the first king of Simhala, Vijaya, came from Simhapura in eastern India, the capital of Kalinga, and that his grandmother was the daughter of the king of Kalinga. The emperor Ashoka sent his son to Ceylon to establish Buddhism, and later sent his daughter Sanghamitra to organise the nuns. The Samantapasadika
Samantapasadika
Samantapasadika refers to a collection of Pali commentaries on Theravada Tipitaka Vinaya. It was a translation of Sinhala commentaries into Pali by Buddhaghosa in the 5th century. Many of the verses used in Samanthapasadika are from older Dípavamsa....
says that she was accompanied by eight families from Kalinga. The Dathavamsa talks of the friendship between king Guhasiva of Kalinga and king Mahasena
Mahasena of Sri Lanka
Mahasen, also known in some records as Mahasena, was a king of Sri Lanka who ruled the country from 275 to 301 AD. He started the construction of large tanks or reservoirs in Sri Lanka, and built sixteen such tanks...
of Ceylon (277 – 304 AD). It also talks of the king of Kalinga giving the tooth relic
Relic of the tooth of the Buddha
The Sacred Relic of the tooth of Buddha is venerated in Sri Lanka as a relic of the founder of Buddhism.-The relic in India:...
of Gautama Buddha
Gautama Buddha
Siddhārtha Gautama was a spiritual teacher from the Indian subcontinent, on whose teachings Buddhism was founded. In most Buddhist traditions, he is regarded as the Supreme Buddha Siddhārtha Gautama (Sanskrit: सिद्धार्थ गौतम; Pali: Siddhattha Gotama) was a spiritual teacher from the Indian...
as a dowry to Dantakumara on his marriage to the kings daughter. Dantakumara took the relic to Ceylon where it was enshrined in a stupa
Stupa
A stupa is a mound-like structure containing Buddhist relics, typically the remains of Buddha, used by Buddhists as a place of worship....
.
Hinayanic
Hinayana
Hīnayāna is a Sanskrit and Pāli term literally meaning: the "Inferior Vehicle", "Deficient Vehicle", the "Abandoned Vehicle", or the "Defective Vehicle". The term appeared around the 1st or 2nd century....
Buddhism flowered in Ceylon in the 4th and 5th centuries AD, and the influence of scholars from Ceylon spread through Burma, Siam and Cambodia, establishing the beliefs and practices that continue in these countries today. Kalinga was also strongly affected by Ceylonese culture, in particular by the Theravada
Theravada
Theravada ; literally, "the Teaching of the Elders" or "the Ancient Teaching", is the oldest surviving Buddhist school. It was founded in India...
teachings of Buddhaghosa
Buddhaghosa
Bhadantācariya Buddhaghoṣa（Chinese: 覺音）was a 5th-century Indian Theravadin Buddhist commentator and scholar. His best-known work is the Visuddhimagga, or Path of Purification, a comprehensive summary and analysis of the Theravada understanding of the Buddha's path to liberation...
, since it lay on the route followed by pilgrims from Ceylon visiting holy places in India. Pilgrims from Kalinga sailed to Ceylon to honour the sacred tooth and visit the monasteries. The Chinese pilgrim Hieun Tsang describes these sea voyages from the port of Tamralipta and Chelitalo to Simhala.
According to the Chulavamsa, the king of Kalinga visited Ceylon during the reign of Aggabodhi II (610–611 AD). King Vijayabahu I
Vijayabahu I
Vijayabahu I was a medieval king of Sri Lanka. Born to a royal bloodline, he grew up at a time which parts of the country were ruled by the invaders from the Chola dynasty of India. He assumed rulership of the Ruhuna principality in the southern parts of the country in 1055...
of Ceylon (1055–1110 AD) married the daughter of the king of Kalinga. Nissanka Malla, son of king Gaparaja of Kalinga became ruler of Ceylon (1187–1196 AD). A prince of Kalinga named Magha
Kalinga Magha
Magha , also known as Kalinga Magha and Magha the Tyrant, is a medieval king of Sri Lanka who is remembered primarily for his tyrannical and oppressive rule. Magha invaded the country from Kalinga in eastern India, usurping the throne from Parakrama Pandya, in 1215...
invaded Ceylon with a fleet carrying 24,000 soldiers and ruled the island from 1214 to 1235 AD.
Later history
Between the 11th and 16th centuries CE, the name Kalinga was gradually replaced by Odra Desa, Uddisa and eventually Orissa.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 independent Oriya state established political supremacy over a vast territory outside the limits of geographical Orissa, ruling from the Ganges to Arcot in the south. His successors retained their hold over an extensive territory. During the rule of Prataprudradeva, from 1497 AD to 1541 AD, the kingdom extended from the Hooghly and Midnapore districts of West Bengal to the Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh.
Arabian sailors began to intrude into the Bay of Bengal as early as the 8th century, and later Portuguese, Dutch, English and French ships became dominant, reducing the sailors of Orissa to the coastal trade.
In 1586, the Muslim ruler of Bengal, Sulaiman Khan 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...
succeeded in conquering the land, ending its independence.
Orissa was subsequently ceded to the Maratha
Maratha
The Maratha are an Indian caste, predominantly in the state of Maharashtra. The term Marāthā has three related usages: within the Marathi speaking region it describes the dominant Maratha caste; outside Maharashtra it can refer to the entire regional population of Marathi-speaking people;...
s in 1751, and came under British rule during 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:...
(1803–1805).
Orissa lost much of her maritime trade during the British period (1803–1947).
However, the Oriyas
Oriya people
The Oriya, known classically by various names , are an ethnic group of eastern India and of eastern Indo-Aryan stock...
stil recall their ancient tradition during their festival of Boita-Vandana, which is approved by the Orissan school of Dharmasastra
Dharmasastra
Dharmaśāstra is a genre of Sanskrit texts and refers to the śāstra, or Indic branch of learning, pertaining to Hindu dharma, religious and legal duty. The voluminous textual corpus of Dharmaśāstra is primarily a product of the Brahmanical tradition in India and represents the elaborate scholastic...
.