Kalinga Kingdom

Kalinga (Odia: କଳିଙ୍ଗ, Devnagari- कळिंग, Telugu- కళింగ) forms the sea shore of Orissa and Andhra region of Andhra Pradesh up to river Godavari state in India. Kuru king Duryodhana's wife was from Kalinga. Kalingas sided with Duryodhana in the Kurukshetra War. The founders of five eastern kingdoms, which included: Angas (east, central Bihar), Vangas (southern West Bengal and Bangladesh), Kalingas (Sea shore of Orissa), 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, probably there were many Kalinga kings, ruling different territories of Kalinga.

References in Mahabharata

Kalinga is mentioned as an ancient Indian (Bharata Varsha) kingdom, along with the Vodhas and again along with the Kiratas residing in the east, at (6,9)

Birth of the five royal lines

The five royal lines of Anga, Vanga, Kalinga, Pundra and Suhma were born from the adopted sons of king Vali. This Vali's kingdom was either Magadha Kingdom or some kingdom close to it. There existed an Asura kingdom to the south of Magadha as per many Puranas. King Vali seems to be an Asura king, like the famous king Mahabali, who was also known as Vali or Bali. The five royal sons were actually the sons of the sage Dīrghatamas. Dīghatamas was a sage born in the race of Gautama and Angiras. He was also known as Gautama. His eldest son also was known as Gautama.(1,104).

Kalinga

Kalinga may refer to:

See also

Kalinga (province)

Kalinga (Ilocano: Probinsya ti Kalinga and Filipino: Lalawigan ng Kalinga), Tagalog pronunciation: [kɐˈliŋɐ]) is a landlocked province in the Philippines in the Cordillera Administrative Region of 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.

Kalinga and Apayao are the result of the 1995 partitioning of the former province of Kalinga-Apayao; which was seen as a way to better service the respective needs of the various indigenous peoples in the area.

Geography

The topography of Kalinga province is rugged and sloping, with mountain peaks ranging from 1,500 to 2,500 metres (4,900 to 8,200 ft) in elevation. The province’s western side is characterised by sharp, crested, interlinking peaks of steep slopes, isolated flatlands, plateaus and valleys. The eastern lands are mainly of rolling and gradually sloping foothills.

Large swaths of the province's lowlands are open grassland suitable for pasture, while the highlands have extensive areas of tropical rainforest. In higher elevations to the west, particularly in the mountains of Balbalan, lie some of the most intact pine forests of Luzon island. Rizal and Tabuk with their flatlands are the biggest rice producers. Next in rice production are the mountainous area, and of note are the rice terraces of Balbalan, Lubuagan, Pasil, Pinukpuk, Tinglayan, and Tanudan.

Kalinga (India)

Kalinga was an early republic in central East India that comprised almost whole Odisha and also some parts of Andhra Pradesh and Chattisgarh. It was a rich and fertile land that extended from the Damodar River/Ganges to the Godavari River and from Bay of Bengal to the Amarkantak range in the west. The region was scene of the bloody Kalinga War fought by Ashoka of the Maurya Empire approximately 265 BCE.

History

The core area of the historical Kalinga now forms the sea shore of Orissa and Andhra region of Andhra Pradesh, up to river Godavari state in India.

Kalinga is mentioned as "Calingae" in Megasthenes' Indica:

The Kalinga alphabet derived from Brahmi was used for writing.

Kalinga was a powerful kingdom during the Mauryan era. The kingdom fell when emperor Ashoka led a war against the republic, leading to its bloody defeat in the Kalinga War. It seems to have gained independence soon by the time of king Kharavela.

Pre-Mauryan

Mahapadma Nanda the ruler of Magadha is presumed to have conquered Kalinga during his reign around c. 350 BCE. The Hathigumpha inscriptions mentions the suzerainty of the Nandas in the Kalinga region. The inscriptions also mention irrigation projects undertaken by the Nanda kings in the state during their reign.