Early Historic Cultures of Orissa
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Orissa Review * April - 2007 Early Historic Cultures of Orissa Dr. Balaram Tripathy The Early Historic cultures of Orissa, unlike other conducted on some representative types of states, has not yet been considered in a holistic pottery found at the sites in hinterland Orissa. viewpoint, and hence an effort is made here to Orissa, in ancient times known as Kalinga, unravel certain noteworthy aspects pertaining to was a far-flung cultural unity, spread over the vast urbanisation and trade mechanism, including regions encompassing territories from the Ganges overseas acquaintances. Emphasis has been laid to the Godavari and sometimes upto the Krishna on issues like trade routes and expansion of river. The ancient texts such as Bhagavati Sutra, Buddhist perception into the upland/hinterland a Jaina text mentions the name of Kalinga Orissa, at least in material culture like pottery Janapada in the 6th century B.C. Of course, in (Knobbed Ware). Classification of major centres the Anguttara Nikaya, a Buddhist text, Kalinga in terms of function and production has been Janapada doesn't find a place (as quoted in discussed here to have a clear understanding of Rayachaudhury 1938). However, the recent hitherto unknown features in early Indian history archaeological explorations and excavations have in general and of Orissa in particular. Direct and revealed interesting data pertaining to urbanization indirect contacts of states/centres with each other and city formation during the Early Historic period have been analyzed and discussed. in Orissa. If we will consider its chronology and Archaeological objects such as pottery and stages of formation, we may conclude that supplementary antiquities as also the ecological throughout the early historic period, Orissa aspects have been taken into consideration to flourished under several names and under several infer the function of urban centres. Stress has been rulers and organizations. Kalinga, as it was laid on explored and excavated major Early known, was very active in domestic as well as Historic sites in present day Orissa with having overseas trade associations, being located on the well-built fortification and moats, and their Bay of Bengal coast and being placed as a meeting locational importance and connectivity to each point between north and south India. other which have been interpreted by drawing several inferences and correlates from Orissa, one of the provinces in the eastern archaeology, literature, numismatic, ethno-history coast, situated between 190 281 and 200 41 N and ethnographic paradigms to portray the Early and between 820 321 and 870 311 E, Historic cultures of Orissa. To ascertain trade respectively. Topographically, it is divided into connection, X-Ray Diffraction Analysis has been five parts, the central plains, the middle 1 Orissa Review * April - 2007 mountainous country, the rolling uplands, the river well-distributed rainfall. The average annual valleys and the subdued plateau (Sinha 1971). precipitation is about 1600 mm, which now a days The coastal plains of Orissa extended from reduced to a considerable volume due to several Suvarnarekha in the north to the Rishikulya in the natural and man-made factors. The major rivers south and are regarded as the land of six deltas- including some tributaries like the Tel are perennial the Suvarnarekha, the Burhabalang, the Vaitarani, and navigable throughout the year and entire the Brahmani, the Mahanadi and the Rishikulya. Orissa has been characterized by the presence There are three parallel belts in the coastal plains of numerous small rivers, rivulets and streams. - the salt tract, the arable tract and the submontane Even up to the British period, all the major rivers tract. The arable tract is a stretch of plains with were navigable throughout the year and most of endless stretch of rice fields. The middle country, the transportation system was based on water covering about three-fourth of the area of Orissa, routes (Deloche 1990) but during recent years has deep and broad valleys, cut by the Vaitarani, almost every river has received siltation process the Brahmani, the Mahanadi, the Rishikulya, the and the riverbeds have become shallow and Vamsadhara and the Nagavali rivers. The valleys literally defunct in terms of trade activity. are fertile and thickly populated. The rolling The Concept mountain, which vary from 153m to 305 m, are The emergence of state and urbanization more in elevation than the plateaus and regarded in Indian context may be regarded as an extension as the product of continuous river action. They of the processes of the earlier period. Research are situated in the Koel-Sonkh basin of the Upper and interpretation have been given by various Brahmani, the Ib, Sukhtel and the Tel of the scholars who term it as "Second Urbanization" Middle Mahanadi and the Sabari basins. The or "Early Historic Urbanization" (Ghosh 1973; major valleys are associated with the Brahmani, Sharma 1991, Makhan Lal 1984; Ray 1986; the Mahanadi and the Vamsadhara rivers. The Erdosy 1988; Allchin 1989: 1-16; 1990: 163- subdued plateaus (305-610m) have the 173; 1995; Chakrabarti 1995; Champakalaxmi peculiarities of peninsular table lands. They are 1996). In a broad sense, in South Asia, the term almost flat. Such plateaus are seen in the Upper "Early Historic" refers approximately to the period Vaitarani and Sabari basins of the Keonjhar and from 600 B.C. to 500 A.D. This period saw the Koraput, respectively. Soil erosion is most emergence of cities and complex politics with the common in this region. growth of Buddhism throughout the subcontinent Lithostratigraphically, the major portion of (Heiztman 1984: 121-138; Erdosy 1988: 430; Orissa is covered by meta-sediments and granites Kosambi 1989; Sarao 1990; Ray 1994, of the Archean age followed by Cuddapah series, Chakrabarti 1995a; 1995b: 185-201; Morrison the latter being followed by the Gondwanas. The 1995: 203-221). However, the process of coastal part as also major river basins are covered urbanization and city formation depends upon the by the Tertiary and recent alluvium (Wadia 1961). geographical and ecological setting of a particular In addition to major rivers like the Mahanadi, the region. Brahmani, the Vaitarani, the Burhabalang, the By the middle of the 1st millennium B.C., Rishikulya and the Vamsadhara, the state is the second urbanization in the region of the drained by numerous tributaries. The vegetation Gangetic valley grew up as a result of interaction is of tropical deciduous type and the climate is of multiple factors that were prompted by the characterized by hot summers, high humidity and conditions of natural situations and previous 2 Orissa Review * April - 2007 cultural developments. The process strengthened 1992). This development gained further and enriched the growing divisions within society momentum in the post-Mauryan era (c. 200 B.C. that came to be institutionalized as economic strata to 300 A.D.), which is marked by changes in the within a hierarchical society (Basa 2005: 69-83). social and economic fabric of the sub-continent. As the divisions within the social organizations The same also happened to regions like the increased, existing institutional regions and other Mahanadi and the Brahmani deltas in Orissa as social entities came into function to alleviate the also in the Middle Mahanadi and Tel Valleys of attendant stresses, which led to the growth of Central/Western Orissa, where urban structure several small independent kingdoms within the grew with all essential features. The extension and regions of the Gangetic plain. spread of Buddhism, trade network, development of social fabric had far-reaching implications and The process of urban growth or the 'second were accompanied by a definite system of coinage urbanization' covered in its early phase the Ganga to promote an organized commercial set up. valley, Indo-Gangetic Divide, Northwest India, Besides, the concept of fort building also started Bihar and Central India, some of the important due to the extensive trade patterns in precious early Indian cities included Taxila (Ghosh 1948), and costly materials. The social strata also got Hasthinapura (Lal 1955), Mathura (IAR 1973- changed and a very powerful class of businessman 74:31-2; 1974-75:48-50; 1975-76: 53-5), rose into power due to their resources and wealth. Ahichhatra (Gosh and Panigraphi 1946; IAR The Roman trade was an important contributing 1963-64), Kosambi (Sarao 1968), Sringav- factor during this period. Recent evidences from erapura (Lal 1993), Rajghat (Narain and Rao the harbour complex of Manikapatana and Palur 1976), Vidisha (IAR 1963-64: 60-70; 1964- and Radhanagara have proved that ancient Orissa 65:23-4; 1975-76: 30-31; 1976-77: 33-4) and was well connected with the Roman world directly Ujjain (IAR 1956-57: 20-8). Most of the early and indirectly which is evident from the finding of settlements, besides being enormous in size, are several Roman amphorae sherds, medallions, characterized by massive ramparts of brick and bullae and even Roman glass. The Roman trade mud with elaborately laid out bastions, gateways particularly influenced the settlement of Tamil and moats, evidence of craft specialization, Nadu and other parts of South India, as also coinage, and incipient polity known from ancient Orissa. literature, features which elevate them to urban The Early Historic settlements at status. The phenomenon of early historic urban Sisupalgarh in Khurdha district (Lal 1949:62- growth accelerated during