History of Orissa from the Earliest Times to the British Period v1.c14.83

v1.c14.83

The invader either proceeded or receded leaving the country unchanged except for the resultant track of misery and starvation along his wake. We do not know what happened to the three provinces of Kalinga afterwards. Perhaps, the country remained under numerous petty chiefs who fought continuously with each other. We do not know of any attempt on the part of any other Gupta king to conquer or annex Orissa. There is no evidence, whatsoever, to prove that any part of Orissa or Kalinga was included in the Gupta empire. The country was distinctly within the zone of influence of Gupta political influence and culture. This is proved in the first instance by the use of the Gupta era in certain inscriptions. The date in the Ganjam plates of the time of Śaśankarāja is distinctly connected with the Gupta era by the use of the term "Gaupt-ābde," but after the discovery of that inscription scholars considered that the Gupta era was used because Śaśānka himself came from a province where the Gupta era was used. But since then the discovery of a number of inscriptions in the Central Provinces and Orissa have proved that the Gupta era was used over a much larger area in North-eastern India than was hitherto proposed. I refer to the Patiakella plate of Śivarāja of the Gupta year 283 and the Arang plate of Bhīmasena II of the Gupta year 282.¹