Orissa: Grandeur and Glory
Grandeur and Glory
Orissa is a state of the Indian Union located along the eastern coast of the peninsula. Its territory formed a part of the ancient Kingdom of Kalinga of Mahabharat fame. Ashok, the Mauryan King of Magadh, invaded Kalinga in 261 BC. This event has gone down history as the Kalinga war causing a greater change in the heart of Ashok, than in his empire. This was the last war fought by him after which he became a great champion of Buddhism and upheld the values of peace and non-violence. By the final reckoning, therefore, it was the conqueror who was conquered in the famous Kalinga War.
The ancient state rose to prominence as a kingdom under Kharavela, a great conqueror and patron of Jainism, in the second half of the 1st century B.C. Other great rulers were the kings of the kesari dynastry and the Eastern Ganga dynasty who were also great builders. The Kalinga School of Architecture flourished from the 7th to the 13th century A.D. The most important monument of this period can be seen in and around Bhubaneswar and Puri. The Lingaraja Temple (Bhubaneswar), the Jagannath Temple (Puri) and the Sun Temple (Konark) are some of the finest temples of this period. Few temple can complete with the beauty of the sculpture of Orissan temples.
Today, Orissa offers not only nature in all its glory with its beaches rivers, waterfalls, hills, forests, wildlife and tribal life, but also a great tradition of architecture, monuments and sculpture. Some of these monuments date back to the 3rd century B.C and are well preserved anmd intact to this day.
In fact, the entire length and breach of the state is dotted with 4,000 monuments and archaeological sites. They include early Jain caves and temples. Buddhist monasteries (viharas), domed structures (chaityas), and pillars (stupas), Hindu temples, mosque, churches, ancient and medieval forts, palaces, and colonial architecture.
Location
170.49″ and 220.34 North Latitude 810.29′ and 870.29 East Longitude . On the eastern coast of India between kolkata (Calcutta0 and Chennai (Madras). The State of Orissa is like a bridge between the northern and the southern halves of India, representing multifaceted cultural synthesis.
Area
1,55,707 Sq. Kms (4.74% of Indai’s land mass). There are 30 districts, which are adminstrative units of the State with the Collector as the head.
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