Antiquity The name of the region is derived from a tribe of the same name. According to the legendary text
Mahabharata, the progenitors of the
Kalingas and of their neighbouring tribes were brothers. These neighbours included the
Angas, the
Vangas, the
Pundras, and the
Suhmas. The Kalingas occupied the extensive territory stretching from river
Baitarani in
Odisha to the
Varahanandi in the
Visakhapatnam district. Its capital in the ancient times was the city of
Dantakura or
Dantapura (now
Dantavaktra fort near
Chicacole in the
Srikakulam district, washed by the river
Languliya or
Langulini). The kingdom of Kaliṅga was already existent at the time of the
Brahmana texts, which mention its king Karaṇḍu as a contemporary of
Nagnajit of
Gāndhāra and of Bhīma of
Vidarbha. According to the , the king Sattabhu of Kaliṅga was a contemporary of Reṇu of
Videha and Dhataraṭṭha or Dhṛtarāṣṭra of
Kāsī. Kaliṅga was mentioned by both
Pāṇini and
Baudhāyana, with the latter considering it as a part of India.
Ancient Kalinga : Kalinga kingdom (c. 1100 – 261 BCE) in c. 1100 BCE
Kalinga dynasty (I) (c. 1100 – 700 BCE) According to
Mahabharata and some
Puranas, the prince 'Kalinga' founded the
Kalinga kingdom, in the current day region of coastal
Odisha, including the North Sircars. The Mahabharata also mentions one 'Srutayudha' as the king of the Kalinga kingdom, who joined the
Kaurava camp. In the Buddhist text, Mahagovinda Suttanta, Kalinga and its ruler, 'Sattabhu', have been mentioned. ;Known rulers are – • King Kalinga, (founder of
Kalinga kingdom) • King Odra, (founder of
Odra kingdom) •
Srutayudha • Srutayush • Manimat • Chitrangada • Subahu • Virasena • Sudatta • Nalikira • Yavanaraj • Dantavakkha or Dantavakhra (c. 9th century BCE) •
Avakinnayo Karakandu (c. late 9th to early 8th century BCE) • Vasupala (c. 8th century BCE)
Kalinga dynasty (II) (c. 700 – 350 BCE) This dynasty is mentioned in
Chullakalinga Jataka and
Kalingabodhi Jataka. The last ruler of First Kalinga dynasty is said to have broken away from the
Danda kingdom along with the kings of
Asmaka and
Vidarbha as its feudal states, and established rule of Second Kalinga dynasty. ;Known rulers are – • Dandaki • Mahakalinga •
Chullakalinga •
Kalinga II (c. 7th – 6th century BCE) ;Other or late Kalinga rulers according to Dāṭhavaṃsa are – This was probably another dynasty or late rulers of Second Kalinga dynasty, which is mentioned in
Dāṭhavaṃsa. ;Known rulers are – • Brahmadatta (c. 6th – 5th century BCE) • Sattabhu • Kasiraja • Sunanda • Guhasiva
Suryavamsha of Kalinga (c. 350 – 261 BCE) ;Known rulers are – • Brahmaadittiya (c. 4th century BCE) His son, prince 'Soorudasaruna-Adeettiya' was exiled and as per
Maldivian history, established the first kingdom
Dheeva Maari and laid the foundation of the
Adeetta dynasty (Aditta Vansa).
Pre-classical Kalinga Annexation by Nanda Empire (c. 345 – 322 BCE) Kalinga was believed to be briefly annexed by Nanda ruler
Mahapadma Nanda between 345 and 340 BCE. The Nanda empire appears to have stretched from present-day
Punjab in the west to
Odisha (Kalinga) in the east. Nandas control of Kalinga region is corroborated by the
Hathigumpha inscription of the later king
Kharavela (c. 2nd or 1st century BCE). When
Chandragupta Maurya rebelled against the Nandas, Kalingas broke away from the empire of
Magadha in 322 BCE.
Hathigumpha Inscription of Kalinga The Hathigumpha inscription suggests that a king named Nandaraja had excavated an aqueduct there in the past. Assuming that Nandaraja refers to a king of the
Nanda dynasty, it appears that the Kalinga region was annexed by the Nandas at some point. It appears to have become independent again after the fall of the Nandas. It is described as "
Calingae" in
Megasthenes'
Indica (3rd century BCE):
Kalinga War and annexation by Maurya Empire (c. 261 – 225 BCE) Ashoka invaded Kalinga in 261 BCE and re-annexed into
Magadha Empire. After the final battle near the
Dhauli hills, the capital
Tosali fell to the Mauryas where the headquarters of the Mauryan province of Kalinga was also located. Kalinga broke away from the Mauryan empire during the rule of
Dasharatha in 224 BCE.
Mahameghavahana Empire (c. 224 BCE – 250 CE) After the decline of the Mauryan Empire, the region came under the control of the
Mahameghavahana family, whose king
Kharavela described himself as the "supreme Lord of Kalinga". Kharavela was the greatest ruler of empire who ruled during the second or first century BCE and the primary source for his reign is sourced from the rock-cut
Hathigumpha inscription. The inscription describes yearly records of his reign and also credits him with public infrastructure projects, welfare activities, patronage of the arts, and many military victories and also patronising religions such as Jainism while the inscription also describes him as a devotee of all religions.
Post-classical Kalinga Gupta Empire Kalinga came under Gupta suzerainty in the 4th century CE. After the Gupta withdrawal, it was ruled by several minor dynasties, whose rulers bore the title
Kalingadhipati ("Lord of Kalinga"). These included the
Matharas,
Pitrbhaktas,
Vasishthas and
Nalas. They were followed by the
Shailodbhavas and the early
Eastern Gangas.
Shailodbhava dynasty In the 7th century, the Shailodbhavas ruled parts of eastern India and their core territory was known as Kongoda-mandala, and included parts of the present-day Ganjam, Khordha and Puri districts. King Madhavaraja II claimed the title
Sakala-Kalingadhipati ("the lord of the entire Kalinga"). During the 8th–10th centuries, the
Bhauma-Kara dynasty ruled the region, although they called their kingdom "Tosala" (derived from Tosali, the ancient capital of Kalinga).
Somavamshi or Keshari dynasty The Somavamshis ruled parts of present-day Odisha in eastern India between the 9th and the 12th centuries with their capitals included Yayatinagara and Abhinava-Yayatinagara (modern Jajpur). They ruled the Dakshina Kosala region claiming the title
Kosalendra ("lord of Kosala"), following which they conquered the Kalinga and the Utkala regions in present-day Odisha, succeeding the Bhauma-Karas. Thus they called themselves the lord of Kalinga,
Kosala, and Utkala. They also introduced a new style of art and architecture in Odisha.
Medieval Kalinga Eastern Ganga dynasty During the 11th–15th century, the Eastern Gangas became the dominant power in the region, and bore the title
Kalingadhipati. After succeeding the Somavanshis, they assumed various titles viz.
Trikalingadhipathi or
Sakala Kalingadhipathi (Lord of three Kalinga or all three Kalingas namely
Kalinga proper (South),
Utkala (North), and
Dakshina Kosala (West)). Their capital was originally located at Kalinganagara (modern
Mukhalingam), and was later transferred to Kataka (modern
Cuttack) during the reign of
Anantavarman Chodaganga in the 12th century. He also built the famous
Jagannath Temple at
Puri. Following repeated invasions from the northern regions,
Narasimhadeva I, the son of
Anangabhima Deva III, invaded southern Bengal in 13th cen., defeated its ruler, captured the capital (
Gauda), and built the
Sun Temple at Konark to commemorate his victory. Narasimhadeva I was also the first king to use the title of
Gajapati or
Lord of war elephants or
King with an army of elephants among the Odishan kings in the 1246 CE inscription at the
Kapilash Temple. With the death of Narasimha in 1264, the Eastern Gangas began to decline and were succeeded by the Suryavamsi
Gajapatis in 1434.
Gajapati Empire The last
Eastern Ganga ruler Bhanudeva IV was dethroned by
Kapilendra Deva in 1435. This event marked the foundation of the
Gajapati Empire that ruled over the regions of
Utkala (North Odisha) and Kalinga (South Odisha, North Andhra Pradesh).
Prataparudra Deva was the last great king of the
Suryavamsi Gajapatis.
Bhoi dynasty After the death of Prataprudra Deva in 1540 his sons Kalua Deva and Khakura Deva were made kings and later assassinated by their minister
Govinda Vidyadhara laying the foundation of the Bhoi dynasty. They could only control the Odisha coast, the interior regions fell under the
Garhjat Kings.
Eastern Chalukya dynasty of Mukunda Deva Mukunda Deva who traced his descent from the
Eastern Chalukyas of
Vengi rebelled and killed the last two successors of the Bhoi dynasty and declared himself an independent ruler in 1559 on Northern Odisha coast over the Bhoi dynasty's territories but
Sulaiman Khan Karrani formed a kingdom in the region of Bengal which proved a potential threat to Mukunda Deva. The fall of the Gajapatis meant the weakening of the centralised authority in the region and the subsequent fragmentation and independence of the tributary and feudal states. ==Influence==