Book Title: Early History of Orissa
Author(s): Amarchand Mittal
Publisher: Jain Cultural Research Society

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Page 372
________________ THE CITY OF KALINGA 347 as regards the Mahāvijaya pāsāda and Paņāļi, the implied sense is singular. The general features implied by the above terms, as has been opined by Dr. B. M. Barua,' indicate that the city of Kalinga was built, even before the reign of Khāravela, more or less on the same plan as of other Indian cities e. g., the city of Śākala of which we have a vivid description in the Milinda Panha. It may be inferred from the hints given in the Hāthigumphā inscription that the palace used as the royal residence was the main centre of interest in the city of Kalinga, precisely as in other cities; that the residential buildings were all inside a city-wall provided with gates; that the various gardens, parks and groves added to the picturesqueness of the city; that tanks of cool water3 served as reservoirs of water for drinking, bathing and washing purposes; and, that canal (and probably roads) facilitated easy communication and intercourse between the capital city and other towns. As for the existence of temples, in the city of Kalinga, dedicated to various deities, in the concluding paragraph of the Hāthigumphā inscription, Khāra vela has been praised as 'sava devāyatana"-sarkāra-kāraka' viz., the repairer of all abodes of the gods. It may, hence, be concluded that there were various shrines in the city of Kalinga, which 1. OBI, p. 288. 2. Trenckner's Edition, pp. 1-2. 3. So far tanks go, it is interesting to note that the kingdom of Kalinga is remarkable in its modern identity precisely as it was two thousand years ago. 4. For details of the plans of Indian cities in early times, refer Dr. B. B. Dutt's Town Planning in Ancient India. 5. Devāyatana is a technical term, which according to Dr. Acharya signifies ayatana, devāyatana and devālaya'. Qtd. Barua, OBI, p. 289, Jain Education International For Personal & Private Use Only www.jainelibrary.org

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