History of Mediaeval Hindu India (being a History of India from 600 to 1200 A.D.) v3.c35.3

v3.c35.3

During this sub-period of Hindu Indian history, a new kingly line came to power in the Kalinga country. The Eastern Gangas of Trikalinga are treated by Kielhorn as a Northern India line properly enough, though Kalinga (modern districts of Vizagapattam and Ganjām) is by race and language a southern country. But from the most ancient times, Anga, Vanga and Kalinga are always leagued together, as Bihar and Bengal or Orissa are leagued together in modern history. Kalinga was, however, in very ancient days taken possession of by Aryan invaders and though in prehistoric times it was considered a sin for Aryans to visit, much more to reside in the country, from before the days of Aśoka and even in the days of the Brāhmaṇas, Aryans came in numbers to settle therein. Aśoka conquered the country with great effort, killing a lakh of people and the country became Buddhist. The country consisted of three parts even in the days of Pliny and hence probably arose the name Trikalinga (Vizagapattam Gazetteer p. 26). This fashion of prefixing a number to names of southern countries may be seen in the mention of three Mahārāṣṭras, seven Konkaṇas and Trairājya Pallavas (Vol. I p. 286). What these three parts were it is difficult to state. They probably meant 1 Kalinga proper, consisting of the East Coast Districts of Ganjām, Vizagapattam and Godāvari 2 Andhra the territory above the Eastern Ghats and 3 perhaps Odra or Orissa to the north of the Mahānadi, Vengi being considered distinct from Trikalinga (Vol. I p. 304). Till about the end of the ninth century Kalinga was certainly under the Eastern Chālukyas of Vengi whose capital lay to the south of the Godāvari. The common people of the country were Dravidians and these and even the incoming Aryans then spoke and now speak the non-Aryan language called Andhra or Telugu.