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Kalinga's Relation with Indonesia (Circa, 1St Century B.C

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Kalinga's Relation with Indonesia (Circa, 1St Century B.C Orissa Review * November - 2007 Kalinga's Relation with Indonesia (Circa, 1st Century B.C. to 7th Century A.D.) Pareswar Sahoo In this paper an attempt has been made to highlight the possibility of maritime relations of ancient Kalinga with South - east-Asian countries like Indonesia based on socio-economic and historical perspectives. The other objective of this paper is to make a historiographical study of Orissa's ancient overseas trade in terms of the genesis, evolution and characteristics. Also the cultural and the dominant role played by the navigators and merchants are subjects of great historical interest. The ancient Kalinga (present Orissa) is (Thailand). Besides the traders along also moved identified in the enthnogrpahic map of India's east the east coast to Singhal, and Lakshadeep, coast and considered as famous for its rich cultural situated on the west coast of India in the Arabian traits, and ancient maritime trading activities, which sea. Apart from this ancient Kalinga also progressed even through the medieval period and developed a brisk overseas trade with Rome and surfaced in the shape of multifarious overseas Greece.1 activities in the modern period of Indian history. But from the close of the fifteenth century The traders, navigators and different upto the mid-eighteenth century when the categories of people from the various parts of the Portuguese and the British arrived in the Indian world in ancient times like, the Oriyas, the Ocean, the spread of Christianity and Islam took Portuguese, the Dutch, the Olandaz; the French, place due to the trading activities led by the the British, used to appeared at different periods Bengali and Gujarati Muslim merchants. B. of time on the ports located on the east coast of Harisson rightly states "Islam was on the move India where they had opened trading centres. The across Asia and Muslim merchants were carrying maritime traders resided there during the trading the faith along with their merchandise whatever season and returned following the favourable they travelled."2 This was the peculiarity of trading wind. The trading activities led by Kalinga was activities in the Indian Ocean. flourishing in S.E. Asia, now inhabited by the Generally researchers in the field of present Asean countries like Indonesia, maritime heritage of Orissa have used the Philippines, Malayasia and Srilanka, Siam Buddhist sources i.e., Ceylonese Chronicles, 23 Orissa Review * November - 2007 Dathvamsa, Dipwavamsa, Mahavamsa, art of travelling in the sea and the overseas trade Nikayas, Jataka Tales, Brahminical sources viz. and commerce was the curriculum of the education Bharatmuni's Natyasastras, Arthasastra by of the Sadhabapuas and the princes.7 Kautilya, Raghuvamsa and Kumarsambham by The sailors from ancient Orissa were Kalidas, Skandapuran, Vayu Puran, Mahabharata abundantly aware of the physical nature of the 3 and Ramayan etc. The foreign accounts like coastal line, like the flow of wind and oceanic Ptolemy's Geography, Pliny's Natural History, current circulation used to happened advantage Travel Accounts Si-Yu-ki of Hiuen-Tsang the of this reserved wind current in winter, since on Chinese Buddhist monk, Indica of Meghasthenes those days the country sailing boitas used to take 4 and lbanbatuta's Accounts etc. The work of advantage of the derection of wind and currents above mentioned eminent scholars have not been in the sea like the Bay of Bengal, Indian ocean. In occupied in proper spirit by other scholars as its the month of November in Orissa coast, average aim was to glorify the Indian maritime heritage. number of cyclones per annum was 0.09 and Hence for the preservation of the importance of severe storms 0.0049.8 In the second half (mid- Orissan ports vis-a-vis the outside overseas Nov.) about almost no storms are experienced in world, more specifically with Ceylone, Maldives, the Orissa coast, (datas are available from the Indonesia and the South East Asia and western Indian Meteorological Department) when the world. The primary sources are required such as Kalinga's traders used to set their sails from the manuscripts, Log book of ships, Direction of Mahanadi mouth. In about a month's time they Sailing, Antiquity maps from marine Archives, used to cross Andhra Pradesh Coast and 5 London. To access the most probable trading Coromandal Coast to reach Indonesia Coast and activities of Kalinga and its port sites at different its southern most tip by mid - December. During periods of the modern and scientific method of December the Andhra coasts experience on an coastal geomorphology is highly required. The average per annum 0.019 storms and so severe ports of Dantapura, Kalinganagar, Tosali, storms are recorded while the Coromondal coast Singhpur etc, have been highly emphasized besides used to be a little more stormy as the average Pithunda, Tamralipta, Poloura, Apheterian, number of storms experienced is 0.116 and severe Kantakasila, Chelitalo, Chilika, Puri, Konark, storms 0.068. So that the upward journey starts Subarnrekha, Narekha, Sarogo, Chhaluya, by the Kalingan sailors from Mahanadi mouth by Baleswara, Loichanpur, Chudaman, the present mid-November and reached Bali by mid - 6 Chudamani in Baleswar district etc. referred as January. They traded in S.E. Asian countries for the important ports of ancient Kalinga. about two months (mid - January to mid - March). Besides Ptolemy's Geography in 1st Significantly this period is comparatively free from century BC refers how the Sadhaba's were very heavy equatorial showers, which provide an export in making their Arnababota or Boita by ideal climate for trading in this equatorial region. implementing the modern scientific techniques. They started their return journey by mid-March The another source of informations about the to reach Kalinga coast by mid-May.9 maritime activities of Orissa is the then inscriptions. The Kalinga seafarers (Sadhabas) used to Which provides the knowledge about both the go to Indonesia particularly Bali in the sea worthy 24 Orissa Review * November - 2007 country by boats tanking the advantage of this Hence it can be presumed that the Oriya traders retreating monsoon (N.E. Monsoon) from learnt and brought these terms to their mother Mahanadi mouth down to the S.W. along the east country through their close commercial links. coast of India right upto Nigappatanam in Pennar Overseas trade and maritime activities of delta and Point, Calimere 10020" N. Latitude Kalinga played significant role in the spread of further South, just, North of Palk Strait. The Kalingan sailors used to trade all along their S.W. Indian's glorious cultural heritage. Indians more ward voyage along the east coast of India and specifically the people of Kalinga established their used to replenish the essential provisions like food colonies in South Eastern Asia like Indonesia. and water if required. Besides, Tamralipta (now It is said that long before the Pallavas of Tamluk) in the Midnapore district, Balasore, South India the people of ancient Orissa had laid Chandbali, Dhamra, Palur and Gopalpur in the the foundation of Indian trades in South East Asia. present Orissa coast and Kalingapatnam, According to Si-Yu-Ki by Hiuen-Tsang and Macchilpatanam Bimalipatanam on the present accounts of other historians the people of S.E.A. Andhrapradesh coast also died down which had called as Kulnun15 or king (the people of Kalinga). a very flourishing maritime activities during 1st Besides, the Indian immigrants in the Malaya, and century B.C. 7th century A.D.10 Indonesia Archipelago are still called Orang Kling Ancient Kalinga had prosperous relations which is perhaps derived from the word Kalinga, with Indonesia not only on the overseas activities the name by which the inhabitants of ancient Orissa but also in a socio-cultural segments. Like the range were once known. There was also a Hindu of pottery with rouletted ware and metal artifacts Kingdom in Central Indonesia, which the Chinese 11 have been recovered from Buni culture on the called Holinga or Kalinga. On the colonisation west coast of northern Indonesia of which the of South-East-Asia, M.M. Das points out : The three are very significant. These pottery specimens expansion of Kalinga, political and culturally into have been extensively found from the Orissan the lands so mentioned was really a great coast, like Manikapatna and Sisupalgarh which contribution of that land to the civilization of the have been dated to the period of 1st century East.16 Even today the pacific islanders take B.C.12 Besides the representation of crocodile in the sculptures of Orissan temples suggest the towards the shores or India in memory of a very relationship with Indonesia which is seen even remote age, when the people from that side went now there. The typical coloquial languages in our and civilized them. The remains of Hindu and Oriya literature also is highly influenced by the Buddhist monuments in Malayasia and Indonesia culture of Indonesia due to the trading activities still proclaim a cultural conquest of those lands by the Sadhabapuas, in ancient time. The term by Kalinga. The names like, Talaing, Telinga, Bou13 (Mother) originally originated from Kling, Keling and Kalinga are still used by the Indonesia. Which is exensively used in nook and people of Indonesia and Malayasia. Besides the corner of Orissa. And in Oriya tales the words colonies, Prof. P.R. Rao, of Osmania Univesity, like Tuantuin14 also found in Indonesian literature, Hyderabad, suggested that, even today a port Tuan means old man and Tuin means Old women. named Kalinga in Indonesia is existing. Perhaps 25 Orissa Review * November - 2007 Kalidas in his momumental work Raghuvansam 6. Ibid. has described the Sudhabpuas are known as the 7. K.P. Mohanty, (1991), Utkal Prasanga, Lord of the Sea.17 Bhubaneswar, p.15.
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