Dynasties of Medieval Orissa (Photostat)

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The recorded enthralling history of Odisha goes back more than two nullermum. Several great angiires and dynasties have ruled over the state and have contributed greatly to the history. culture and development of Odisha. Odisim is tormally known as onssa. In the differam, ora the region and parts of the region were known by different names.

in the ancient times Odisha was known as Kalinga which was named atter son of king Bodi. According to some scriptares and mythology he founded the kingdom of Kalinga in the current day region of coastal Odisha, inchaling the Northern Circurs. Kalinga is mentioned in Ese Mahabharata several times. From the time of Kalinga in Odisha the state is refered called by miny names like duda. Mahakantara, Ueda (Odia word is evolved from the Urda ribel Oddiyana. Kamala Mandain, South Kosals, Kongoda, Trikalinga, Tosal.

The History of Odishit can be mieed hack in the prehistoric days. The pre-historic culture af Odisha was very different from that of the northem part of India. During lower Paleolithe times the Acheulian tools, was prevalent in the dutriens of Mayurbhanj, Keonjhat. Sondarguch and Sambalpur in Odisha. The Gudahandi hills in Kalahandi district have paintings and rock carvings dating to Upper Paleolithic times. Some of the rocks, like the Mayurtiham pranite pluton, have been dased to 3.09 billion years ago. Prehistoric paintings, inscriptions, pieces of pottery and tools like hoes, chisels, pounders, mace beads, grinding stones have been tound in different parts of the state.

In the nineteenth century those, who compiled the history of Orissa, had no alternative but to depend fully on the Madalapanji or the chronicle of the Jagannatha temple of Puri. With the discovery of epigraphic records in Orissa, it was found in the beginning of: the current century that the accounts of the pre Moghul period, recorded in the Madalapanji, are entirely unreliable The authenticity of the Madalapanji was challenged by the late Dr. Fleet and by the late Mr. M. M. Chakravarty. The results of the pioneer researches of the latter scholar are no doubt a valuable contribution towards the reconstruction of the history of Orissa. But his researches are generally limited to the period from the twelfth century onwards.

Later on the late Professor R. 11. Banerjee set himself to the task of bringing out a connected history of Orissa from the pre- historic period down to the British conquest. We cannot deny the fact that his monumental work-History of Orissa-embodies a mass of authentic accounts. But due to want of sufficient data, ho was hardly able to reconcile certain discrepancies and fully reconstruet the chronology of the different dynasties. However, since the publication of his History of Orissa, a few important records have been discovered. These have enabled me to arrive at certain conclusions discussed in the following pages, which, I hope, will be helpful to those who are interested in the Chronology of Orissa. Here I have also arranged all the informations available from the epigraphic records of Medieval period in such a way that they can be easily studied by the students of history.

Moreover, I have made an attempt to identify as far as practicable the places mentioned in them which will enable-the readers to form an idea of the extent of territories of different dynasties.

Pandit Binayak Misra's Dynasties of Mediacval Orissa is a useful supplement to late Professor R. D. Banorji's History of Orissa so far as it relates to the dynasties that held sway in Orissa from about 600 to 1100 A. D. The author has dealt with the problems connected with the history of the more or less contem- poraneous Sailodbhavas and Bhaumas and the succeeding Somavathsis with ingenuity and erudition. Pandit Misra's treatment of the ancient geography of Orissa is a valuable contribution to the literature on the subject.