History of Orissa from the Earliest Times to the British Period v1.c8.17

v1.c8.17

Bhuvanesvara itself is a town of comparatively greater antiquity in Orissa. The earliest temples at this place go back to the 8th century, if not to the 7th, and the caves on the Udayagiri and Khandagiri hills are partly of the 2nd century B.C. and partly of the 9th century A.D. Compared to this area there is no other tract in the whole of Northern Orissa, which goes so far back in date except the unexplored ruins of Gandharadi in the Baudh State, on the right bank of the Mahanadi. Purushottama or Puri is undoubtedly of recent origin, as only the main shrine was erected by Anantavarman Chodaganga towards the close of the 11th century A. D. Further south, the ruins of only one important town need be mentioned. This is Kalinga or Kalinga-nagara, the capital of the greater Kalinga. The ruins of the ancient city have been partly carried away by the sea, partly buried in the sand. Some remains of the 2nd and 1st century B. C. have been discovered in the temple of Kurmesvara and certain others at Mukhalingam. The entire area is unexplored and very little attention has been paid to it by the Archaeological Department of the Government of India. Further south, the remains at Simhachalam, Anakapalle and other places belong to the mediaeval period. Of places in the Godavari-Krishna Doab very little information exists. The only important places in the interior of the Southern part of Kalinga are the remains on the Mahendragiri hills, on which several temples and inscriptions are known to exist.