Part II: Odisha’s Resilience Helped It Bounce Back Despite Adversities

Odisha has always been devastated by natural disasters and every time the state has made a comeback, which has been glorious, gutsy and full of gusto. After strengthening the public utilities, he set out on a minutely planned expedition, with the help of an elaborate cavalcade of elephants, infantry and chariots towards the Krishna river. In the 13 years of his rule, Kharvela had maintained an equilibrium between annexation, foreign expansion and internal development of the kingdom, which ensured him and his regime the stability and the backing.

Development and growth were given equal importance. From Berar and Maharashtra region to Gorathagiri in the modern Gaya district, Bihar and the Cholas, Pandyas, Satyaputres, Keralaputras and Tamraparni of Tamil confederacy in the south, Kharvela, the monarch of Kalinga was the monarch of the vast expanse, where his governance was a glorious blend of public welfare and territorial accession.

This is a glowing testimony to the vigour and vitality of the Kalinga people and their strength of character. In the phase out period of his rule, he contributed to the practice of Jainism and hobnobbed with the monks. After Kharvela, Kalinga was governed by rulers from dynasties like the Kushanas, Satavahanas, Murundas, Guptas, Matharas, Sharabhapuriyas and the Eastern Ganga Dynasty. In many ways, the Ganga dynasty gave me my marquee identities – the Puri Jagannath Temple and the Konark Sun Temple.

All of us in my land are Dharamapadas of Konark – brilliant and yet shy, erudite yet reticent, simple beyond the trappings of ego and aggression. I am ready to sacrifice my life for the honour of my land and my people without a whimper and remorse. Today, they call this ‘life skills’, which is what we are born with. When Purushottam is with me, my spirit is His. The lord of the Universe, Jagannath who is the ‘best of all’ resides in Purusottama Ksetra, Puri, which has been described in the Puranas as the most sacred place in Bharata Varsa. It is the kshetra or the region where the Purusottama made his perpetual abode, Vaikuntha Bhubana.

The sacred place, according to the traditional belief, existed even during the great universal deluge and in the beginning of this creation. Its greatness is unparalleled, its significance is unimaginable and its sanctity is ethereal. The Kapila Samhita refers to my land as the one “that takes away sin”. With Purushottam as the patriarch of my house, can I lack strength in character? I am the fortunate land and the destined race.

It is not that only now you see the Gajpati or the King of Puri serving the Lord as his chief servitor. In 1230 AD, King Anangabhima III dedicated his kingdom to the deity and proclaimed himself as the “deputy” of the God.

The first Gajapati Emperor, Kapilendra Deva ambitiously expanded Kanchi kingdom from the South of India. He was baffled when he saw King Purusottama Deva sweeping the chariot like a commoner. He was not sure about the eligibility of the King to marry Princess Padmavati. This simplicity and the complete surrender to the Lord is beyond common understanding. Simplicity is powerful and this can be the best example.

If the King can submit to the Lord of the Universe, imagine the culture of the subjects, the citizens. That is me, Odia. One who is unobtrusive and possessed with the enormous strength to surrender to nature, the Supreme or the Lord. Submission is the highest form of bhakti or dedication.