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Odisha Of Yore
The Gua In Our Paana
What’s panna without gua, betel-nut? No fun. The latter appears to have been an import from South-East Asia to Odisha. Betel-nut is quite popular in those countries. In rural areas of…
The Sri Lankan Connection
Ancient Odisha’s connection with Ceylon, the modern-day Sri Lanka, ran deep. Some historians believe Vijaya, the first king of Simhala, was from Simhapura, the capital of Kalinga. When…
Chilika, Once Upon A Time
The placid Chilika lake has been reduced to a mesh of prawn farming nets these days. In its glory days, which spanned many centuries across the pre-and early Christian era, it was an…
The Magnificent Boat-Makers of Yore
Kalinga was a maritime superpower. It means ancient Odias were proficient at ship-building and had sound knowledge of the seasonal winds. While contemporary and later-day literary accounts…
The Sadhava’s Cargo
What did the sadhavas carry in their magnificent boats? Historical evidence suggests the cargo consisted of ivory, textiles, precious stones, rice and betel nuts among other items. Elephants…
Kalinga War, The Lesser-Known Story
Kalinga war, which historians place around 261 BC, was Mauryan emperor Ashoka’s only major military offensive. The reason was not his desire to acquire the ravishing commoner Karuvaki as…
Lord Of The Waves
Ancient Odisha’s dominance of the sea was so overwhelming that that the Bay of Bengal came to be identified solely with Kalinga. Mahayana text Araya Manjusri Mulakalpa, believed to have been…