Later Medieval Orissa: A Cultural Study -From the Reign of the Gangas to that of Mukundadeva (An Old and Rare Book)

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Early History of Orissa: A brief study, Historical importance of Later Medieval Orissa, A brief study of the important monuments of Orissa, Culture under the Gangas, Culture under the Gajapatis, Culture under the Bhoi and Chalukya rule.

Dr. Kabitarani Mohanty after Graduation in 1983 has completed M.A. in History in 1985, B.Ed. in 1987 and Ph.D. in 1995 from Utkal University, Orissa. She wrote several articles on innovative Education for Children, Women Empowerment as well as on some of the unveiled Art & Cultural heritage of Orissa of the Medieval period and are published in periodicals and Journals of regional and national repute. Currently she is undertaking higher research work on Art & Cultural heritage of Orissa of Medieval period. She has been associated with one State level NGO which has been rendering services to the deprived and neglected Children and Women in remote areas of Orissa. She is continuing as a member of Orissa and Indian History Congress. Presently she is working as the Head of the Department of History in P.B.M. Mahavidyalaya, Mahabirod of Dhenkanal district, Orissa.

In selecting this topic for research work, much attention has been paid to highlight some distinctive features of Orissan culture that had attracted many an erudite scholar to the field. It is generally admitted that Orissa during the Ganga and Gajapati rule witnessed great advancement in several fields such as expansion of territories, building enterprises of exceptional standard, growth of modern vernacular literature and evolution of the Jagannatha cult. This period came under the tantalizing influence of Vaisnavite teachers like Ramanuja, Jayadeva Goswami and Chaitanya. The militant kingdom of Orissa proved to be invincible against the aggressive Muslim power that never ventured to push its arms into Orissa until A.D. 1568. Aside this militant nationalism, Orissa earned the reputation of becoming an important centre of pilgrimage for the people of different parts of India. As such, the powerful monarchs of the Ganga and Gajapati dynasties were looked upon as the standard bearers of Hindu culture in India.

Etymologically speaking, culture embodies cultivation or refinement of a people or a nation though synoptically it intends to throw lights on all and sundry components of socio-economic and political spectra that go with civilization. A vivifying approach to history comprises not the tall tales concerning the regning monarchs or their frenzy pastime or lascivious revelary, not the fulminating war-cry of the whimsical potentates but reverie of sanguine homosapiens who constitute the ins and outs or the very basic structure of mundane existence. The cumulated effulgence of the bygones cum muttisaliis serve us as colossal sources of information to reconstruct the cultural history of the period of our study; the one undertaken for study is very much fascinating and of absorbing interest to a people whose ancestors built like colossus and breathed the air of self-actualisation.

The period undertaken for study of cultural history of the later medieval Orissa comprises (1) the Ganga rule in Orissa between A.D. 1110 and 1435. (ii) the Gajapati rule between A.D. 1435 and 1542. (ii) the Bhoi rule between A.D. 1542 and 1560 and (iv) the Chalukya rule between A.D. 1560 and 1568. A total of 458 years covered by the rule of these four dynasties forms the period of our study.

**Contents and Sample Pages**