Early History of Orissa

Author(s): Amarchand Mittal
Publisher: Jain Cultural Research Society

Page 31

AN EARLY HISTORY OF ORISSA
This is Kalinga proper as described by Hiuen Tsang in the Seventh century A. D. The people of this country were war-like from the very dawn of history. The ferocity of its people may be judged from the number of people killed and captured during Aśoka's campaign in Kalinga.? The country was reduced with great difficulty by the Muslim conquerors in mediaeval times.
The network of rivers, in the deltas of the Godavari and the Krishnā, prevented passage of large armies through it along the eastern coast of the Bay of Bengal. The coastland, from Hijli in the Medinipur district upto Madras, does not include any good harbours or roadsteads. The shore slopes down gradually from the coast and deep water is available only after two or three miles. Moreover, the sea is very rough during the south-eastern monsoon when cyclones visit this coast almost every year. Inspite of these natural defects the people of ancient Kalinga developed into good sailors very early in the history of the country.
On its western frontier, Kalinga is protected by range after range of hills-the off-shoots of the great Eastern Ghats, which form a very effective bulwark on that side. But at the same time the secluded valleys between these ranges have sheltered the primitive inhabitants from times immemorial
The former Bastar state formed a continual boundary of Kalinga proper towards the west. The country between Bezwada on the Krishnā and Rajmahendri on the Godavari, has been a battle-field between the armies from the North and the South since very early days. This part of the country is much more readily accessible from the 1. R. E. XIII. Line, 1. "Diadha matre prana-sata-sahasre ye tato
apavudhe sata-sahasra matre tatra hate bahu-tavatake va mute".