Kalinga was a prosperous kingdom in ancient India. The territory of ancient Kalinga included parts of the districts of Puri and Ganjam, some regions in the north and north-west, and some areas of the modern Telugu-speaking province of South India. The people of Kalinga country were freedom lovers. This is the reason that Ashoka could not easily dominate them. After the death of Ashoka, when the process of disintegration of the empire started and his provinces separated from the empire to establish their independent power, then Kalinga also proclaimed its independence.
The inscriptions of Hathigumpha found in Jain caves of Udayagiri hill near Bhubaneswar (Puri district) give knowledge of the history of Cheti (Chedi) dynasty of Kalinga. This lineage calls itself the progeny (Vasu-Uparichara) of the ancient Chedi king Vasu.
Chedis were an ancient race of India, dating back to the 6th century. BC He used to rule in the adjoining regions of Bundelkhand. Probably a branch of this Chedi dynasty went to Kalinga and established an independent kingdom there. The Mauryan emperor Ashoka had included Kalinga in his empire after a fierce war. It seems that when the power of the Maurya Empire weakened, when many remote regions of the Magadha Empire began to be freed from the suzerainty of the Maurya emperors, the kingdom of Kalinga also became independent.
historical source
Relation to Kalinga and its history from Ashtadhyayi, Mahabharata, Puranas, Ramayana, Kalidasa's Raghuvansh epic, Dandi's Dashkumaracharita, Jataka, Jain text Uttaradhyanasutra, Ptolemy's Geography and Ashoka's writings Important information is available. seventeen lines engraved in Prakrit language by Kalingaraj Kharavela The ones dateless Hathigumpha inscription describes Kharavela's childhood, education, coronation and his reign since his reign as thirteen years A systematic description of the events of the
Chedi dynasty in Kalinga was probably founded by Mahameghavahana, hence this dynasty is called 'Mahameghavahana dynasty' also say. Historian Kashiprasad Jaiswal has considered the Meghvanshi kings to be of Chedi dynasty. The history between Mahameghavahana and Kharavela is not clear. Manchapuri Cave of Udayagiri Hill In an article by Maharaj Vakdev There is a mention of a ruler named Mahameghavahana, who was probably the second ruler of the Chedi dynasty of Kalinga and the father of Kharavela. Kharavela was born in the third generation of Mahameghavahana, who was the most powerful and famous ruler of this dynasty.
Kalinga Naresh Kharavel
Kharavela Enumerates Major Rulers of Whole Ancient Indian History is done in. He was the greatest and eminent emperor of the Mahameghavahana dynasty ruling in Kalinga (present-day Orissa). According to the Hathigumpha inscription, till the age of 15, Kharavela learned Rajochit Vidyas. His body was healthy and his complexion was fair. He was taught writing, currency, calculation, behavior, method and other disciplines and he became proficient in all the disciplines. At the age of 15, he became the crown prince and took part in administrative work for nine years. At the age of twenty-four, he was coronated and sat on the throne. On becoming the king, he 'Kalingadhipati ’ and ‘Kalinga Chakraborty Took the titles of '. Her marriage Lalak Hatthisingh Was born to the king's daughter who became his chief Mahishi.
Kharavel's achievements
construction
In the first year of assuming the throne, Kharavela got construction work done in his capital city of Kalinga. He got the gopuras, ramparts and pylons destroyed in the storm repaired and decorated the city by performing rituals. He got the tadgas and gardens constructed with tiered soft water. Kalinga king entertained his subjects by spending five lakh rupees in these works. Due to his public welfare works, he got wide popularity among his subjects and his position in the capital was strengthened.
Digvijay's comprehensive plan
Consolidating his position, Kharavel made a comprehensive plan for Digvijay. In the second year of his rule, ignoring the power of Satakarni (Satvahana king), he sent his huge army for western conquest and with the help of Kashyapa Kshatriyas Musiknagar located on the river Kanvena. (Rishik Nagar) was completely destroyed. Some historians identify Kanvena with Wainganga (a small river in Maharashtra) and its tributary Kanhan, but according to Kashiprasad Jaiswal, Kanvena should be considered as the modern Krishna river and Musik city situated at the confluence of Krishna and Musi. Satakarni was a Satavahana king, and had an independent kingdom in Andhra Pradesh. Andhra was also one of the territories that became independent from the suzerainty of the Mauryas.
Kharavela's military operation seems to have been a mere raid, as the description of the article suggests that there was no direct conflict between the armies of Kharavela and Satakarni. Possibly both had a friendly relationship and according to some scholars, Kharavela did not go against Satakarni but for protection and he returned and organized the festival etc. The article reveals that in the third year of his ascension, he celebrated a huge celebration in his capital by performing music, instruments, dance, drama etc. ).
West Side Attack
In the fourth year of his rule, Kharavela once again attacked westwards and subjugated the Bhojakas and Rathikas (Rashtriks). The position of Bhojakas was in the region of Berar and that of Rathikas in East Khandesh and Ahmednagar. Similar to ancient Andhaka-Vrishnis Rathik-Bhoka There were probably Kshatriya clans who had their own republics. These republics probably accepted the suzerainty of the Satavahanas. According to the article, he resided in the area of Vidyadharas. Probably there was a place of Jain pilgrimage in the area of Vidyadharas which was occupied by the Rathikas and Bhojakas and Kharavela defeated the Rathikas and Bhojakas to protect this holy place and snatched their gems and wealth and worshiped their feet. Was done Ashoka's writings also mention rathikas and bhojakas, who were under the Mauryas. He also had friendly relations with the Satavahana rulers. The wife of Satakarni I was a daughter of the Maharathi dynasty.
Irrigation and Transportation Facility
In the fifth year of his rule, Kharavela connected the Tansuli canal, excavated by Nandraj, to his capital, providing irrigation and transportation facilities to his subjects. It is not clear whether this Nanda ruler was Mahapadmananda of Magadha or a local ruler of Kalinga.
Functions of Species
In the sixth year Kharavela did many things to keep his subjects happy by spending one lakh currency. He waived all kinds of taxes by doing favors to the residents of villages and towns. The details of the seventh year are questionable. Probably in the same year he married the daughter of Lalak Hatthisingh and performed the Rajasuya Yagya.
In the eighth year of his rule, Kharavela conducted a military campaign in North India. His army attacked Magadha and destroyed the fort of Gorathgiri situated on Barabar hill and besieged Rajgriha. A Yavanraj 'dimit from this campaign of Kharavela Frightened, Mathura ran away. The identity of this dimit is not certain, but it can be identified with the Indo-Yavan ruler Demetrius.
In the ninth year of his ascension, Kharavela placed around 3.8 million coins on both sides of Prachi Nagar to commemorate his military victories. At the cost of 'Mahavijay Prasad' Built a grand palace called and presented gold Kalpavriksha, horses, yards, chariots etc. to Brahmins. In the tenth year, he again attacked Bharatvarsha (Valley of the Ganges) to conquer the earth, but did not get any special success.
Mission to South India
In the eleventh year, Kharavela turned his attention to South India. His army destroyed the ancient city called Pithund and went further south and penetrated the Tamil Union (Bheti Tramir-dah-Sanghat , The Tamil kings of the south seem to have formed a confederacy to confront Kharavela, which Kharavela destroyed. According to the article, Kharavela destroyed the town of Pithund and converted it into a big agricultural farm and got the donkeys plowed was. The city can be identified with a place called Pitundra near Masulipatam, which is mentioned by Ptolemy. Conquering the far south, Kharavela reached the Pandya kingdom. In the same year Kharavela took out a procession with the thirteen hundred year old Ketubhadra statue.
Two Soldiers Campaign
In the twelfth year Kharavela made two military campaigns - one in North India and the other in South India. Kharavela first attacked Uttarapatha and defeated the Magadha king and got his feet worshipped and his horses and elephants bathed in the Ganges. After this he returned to his capital with the Atul property along with the statue of the first Jin which had been taken from Kalinga by Nandaraja three centuries earlier. With the money received from North India, he built a grand temple at Bhubaneshwar, which is also mentioned in a handwritten copy of the Brahmanda Purana received from Orissa.
The king of Magadha who was forced by Kharavela to fall at his feet, according to many historians his name is Bahsatimit (Jupiter) was. Kashiprasad Jaiswal considered the name of the king of Magadha mentioned in the Hathigumpha inscription as Bahasatimit (Jrihaspatimitra) and considered it to be synonymous with Pushyamitra Shunga and propounded that Kalingaraja Kharavela had attacked and defeated the Shungvanshi Pushyamitra. But many scholars are neither ready to accept the name mentioned in Hathigumpha nor to equate it with Pushyamitra. In any case, it is certain that Kharavela had conquered Magadha by attacking Uttarapatha and forced the king there to bow down before him.
Last Combat
Kharavela's last military campaign against the Pandya kings of the far south took place in the twelfth year itself. The Pandya king accepted his submission and gifted elephants, horses, diamonds and jewels. Kharavela returned to the capital with Atul property. Due to his four victories, his queen was named 'Chakravartin ’ has been said.
In the thirteenth year of his reign, Kharavela built caves on Kumariparvata (Udayagiri-Khandagiri hills) for the abode of the shelterless preachers of the Jain Arhats.
Religion and Religious Ethics
Kharavela was a follower of Jainism and probably during his time the majority of the people of Kalinga had also adopted the religion of Vardhaman Mahavira. He made huge donations for the subsistence of the Jain monks and got comfortable caves built for their accommodation. He had got the Hathigumpha inscription engraved only to preserve the details of the monk-dwellings. Not only this, Kharavela had also built pillars for ascetics etc. at a place called Pabhar.
Kharavel was a follower of Jainism but was a devotee of other religions. The Hathigumpha inscription shows that he had rebuilt the temples of all the deities and that he respected all the sects equally (Sab Pasandpujakasvedevayatanaskar , He also organized a huge gathering of Pandits. Perhaps this is the reason why Kharavela was known as the Emperor of Peace and Prosperity, Emperor of Bhikshu and Dharmaraja.
philanthropic work
Kharavela was a Prajavatsal philanthropic ruler who did not care about the expenditure of money for the welfare of the subjects. He connected the Tansuli canal built by Nandraj 300 years ago to the capital for the welfare of the people and freed the subjects of the city and villages from tax. He organized dance and music festivals from time to time to entertain the public.
According to the Hathigumpha inscription, King Kharavela was also a master of art, literature, mathematics and social science. The Hathigumpha inscription is in the Pali Prakrit language, which suggests that Pali may have been the native language of the Oriya people. He had a great reputation as a patron of the arts and encouraged dance and theatrical arts in his capital. The paintings engraved in the caves of Ranigufa in Udayagiri and Anantagufa in Khandagiri are of high quality from the point of view of painting.
Kharavel had a special interest in building construction. As soon as he became the king, he got his capital decorated with ramparts, pylons, tadagas and gardens and named 'Mahavijay-Prasad' Built a grand Raj Bhavan, which is a proof of his architectural love. उदयगिरि में 19 तथा खंडगिरि में 16 गुहा-विहारों का निर्माण श्रमण संप्रदायों के प्रति उसकी अटूट श्रद्धा का परिचायक है।
तिथि-निर्धारण
खारवेल ने कुल तेरह वर्ष शासन किया। किंतु उसका काल-निर्धारण आज भी विवादग्रस्त है। हाथीगुम्फा लेख के आधार पर कुछ विद्वान् उसको ईसापूर्व दूसरी शती में रखते हैं और कुछ ई.पू. की प्रथम शती में। काशीप्रसाद जायसवाल ने हाथीगुम्फा शिलालेख में खारवेल के समकालीन मगधराज बहसतिमित को पुष्यमित्र और खारवेल के आक्रमण के समय भयभीत होकर मध्यदेश से मथुरा भागने वाले यवनराज ‘दिमित ’ को यवन शासक डेमेट्रियस मानकर यह प्रतिपादित किया था कि खारवेल पुष्यमित्र शुंग और यवनराज डेमेट्रियस का समकालीन था।
किंतु अनेक इतिहासकार इस समीकरण को संदिग्ध मानते हैं और हाथीगुम्फा लेख की लिपि के आधार पर खारवेल का समय ई.पू. पहली शताब्दी में मानते हैं। लेख की छठीं पंक्ति के अनुसार खारवेल ने नंदराजा द्वारा तीन सौ वर्ष पूर्व बनवाई गई तनसुलि नहर को अपनी राजधानी से जोड़ा था। BC पहली शताब्दी के समर्थक इतिहासकार लेख के नंदराजा की पहचान मगध के नंद शासक महापद्मनंद से करते हैं और खारवेल को ई.पू. पहली शताब्दी में रखते हैं। इस विषय पर और अधिक शोध की आवश्यकता है। खारवेल के पश्चात् चेदि राजवंश के संबंध में कोई निश्चित सूचना नहीं मिलती। संभवतः उसकी मृत्यु के बाद ही उसका शक्तिशाली साम्राज्य छिन्न-भिन्न हो गया।
खारवेल का मूल्यांकन
इस प्रकार खारवेल ने एक महान् सेनानायक के रूप में न केवल मगध को पराजित कर अपने चरणों की वंदना करवाई और यवनों को भयभीत किया, अपितु ‘तमिल-संघ’का भेदन कर सुदूर दक्षिण के पांड्यों से मुक्तामणियों का उपहार प्राप्त किया और ‘कलिंगाधिपति’ की उपाधि धारण की। वह एक महान् विजेता और लोकोपकारी शासक होने के साथ-साथ धर्म-सहिष्णु कलाप्रेमी सम्राट भी था। वह स्वयं विद्वान् (राजर्षि) था और विद्वानों का आश्रयदाता भी था। हाथीगुम्फा अभिलेख में खारवेल को अप्रतिहित वाहिनी, बलचक्रधर, प्रवृत्तचक्र, आर्य महाराज, लेमराज, वृद्धराज, धर्मराज तथा महाविजयराज कहा गया है, जिससे स्पष्ट है कि उसमें राजविजयी और धर्मविजयी शासक के गुणों का अद्भुत समन्वय था। वस्तुतः अपने कृतित्व और व्यक्तित्व के द्वारा खारवेल ने कलिंग के गौरव को उन्नति की पराकाष्ठा पर पहुँचा दिया।
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