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CHAPTER XII
SECTION ! CONQUESTS OF KHĀRAVELA Immediately after his accession to the throne of Kalinga, Khāravela launched on a career of dig-vijayin. We find a systematic record of his various conquests, year by year, in his inscription engraved in the Hāthigumphā. It records in line four that "In the second year of his reign, disregarding Sāta karņi, he (Khāravela) despatched to the western regions an army strong in cavalry, elephants, infantry and chariots, and by that army, having reached. the Kanha-beņā, he thronged the city of Asika (or Musika) into consternation.”
So in the second year of his reign, Khāravela attacked the western regions without even caring for Sātąkarņi, who apparently ruled the country to the west of Kalinga. In the course of this expedition, the Kalinga armies are further said to have reached the banks of the Krishna-beņā river: where the city called Asika-nagar was threatened.
1. "Dutiya cha vase achitayită sutakanim pachhimdisaṁ haya gaja nara radha bahulain dandań pathūpayati. Kanhavennā gatāya cha senāya vitisiti asikanagarań." (line 4)
2. The original has Asikanagara, which has sometimes been read as Musika-nagara (D. C. Sircar, AIU, 1951, p 213). R. D. Banerji (HO, Vol. I, pp. 75 f) reads Musika-nagara. There is however one more suggestion to read as Rishika nagara.
3. K. P. Jayaswal (JBORS, Vol. III, Pt. IV, 1917, p. 442) states that the Purānas place this river near the Godavari and treat it as distinct from the southern Krishņā. It is mentioned in the Vāyū Purāņa (LV, 103) as forming two different rivers-Krishņā and Veņã. The Märkandega (LXVII, 26–27) derives it from the Vindhyas. It may bence be identified with Wain-Gangā which has for its main tributary the Kanhan. The
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