History of Orissa from the Earliest Times to the British Period v1.c11.2.2

v1.c11.2.2

The Kaliṅga kings were, therefore, Kshatriyas of the Lunar family. Kaliṅga, the original founder of the kingdom of that name, was a descendant of Titikshu, who belonged to the Ānava branch of the Ailas of Pratishṭhāna or Allahabad. Of the country itself we know, first of all, that Pṛithu, son of Veṇa, gave the country of Magadha to bards, called *Māgadhas* and *Sūtas* and Kaliṅga to the *Chāraṇas*.¹ It is stated that Mahapadma Nanda exterminated all Kshatriyas "and that until then there reigned contemporaneously for the same length of time 24 Aikshvākus, 27 Pāñchālas, 24 Kāśis, 28 Haihayas, 32 Kaliṅgas, 25 Āśmakas, 36 Kurus, 28 Maithilas, 23 Śūrasenas and 20 Vitihotras."² This statement proves that the claim of the kings of Kaliṅga to be regarded as Indo-Aryans is as old as the earliest kings of the Nanda dynasty. The neighbours of the kings of Kaliṅga were the Saudyumnas of Utkala. According to the Paurānic tradition Manu had ten sons, of whom the eldest was Iḷā. Iḷā entered the reed grove of Śiva and was cursed by Umā and became a female. In this stage Iḷā consorted with Budha, son of the Moon and Pururavas was born of this union. Then Śiva favoured him and he became alternately a man and a woman for one month. According to the second tradition Iḷā was a daughter of Manu and gave birth to Pururavas. Then she became a man named Sudyumna but on account of the same curse became a woman. He regained his manhood through Śiva's favour.