Question

Kalinga was situated between?
A. Godavari and Krishna
B. Mahanadi and Godavari
C.Mahanadi and Krishna
D. Krishna and Kaveri

Answer 1

Hint:Kalinga, now a major part of Odisha was earlier a battleground where wars were fought in the ancient era. We also see mention of Kalinga in various epics and that too mainly in Mahabharata. Apart from this we will also talk about the history of Kalinga and how it is associated with people and places.

Complete answer:
So firstly, talking about the past of kalinga, we come to the conclusion that it was a life changing location for the greatest king whom we popularly call Ashoka the great. This was the place where king Ashoka (son of Bindusara) after watching the adversities and effects of war on people, left fighting wars and took to the path of dhamma.

The effect of the war was an eye opener for Ashoka and genuinely showed him the reality of the aftermaths of wars and conquests. After the kalinga war, he departed from fighting wars for the expansion of his territory. But one thing that should be noticed here is that he did not literally leave fighting wars. He did but only when it was the last option left with him. He even appointed separate ministers who used to give punishments who committed any offence. Talking about dhamma, we see that he was influenced by the Buddhist ideas so much that he started patronizing Buddhism and to spread his ideas, he even sent his daughter and son to Sri Lanka. So, this was the importance of kalinga not only in Ashoka’s life but also in Indian ancient past.

Now when we talk about the geographical location of kalinga, we find that it mainly lies in the south eastern part of india that is in the north of Andhra Pradesh and presently is a part of Odisha. Earlier, the region of kalinga was spread wide but now it has fluctuated. It was basically stretched to the southern border of Krishna river and in the northern region towards Mahanadi river. But now when asked about the location of Kalinga, we particularly say that it lies between Mahanadi and Godavari river in central India and northwestern part of India respectively.

Note: Apart from Mahabharata, we also find the mention of kalinga in various inscriptions of the time. Along with this, we also find different names of kalinga. For example, Trikalinga, mentioned in ancient inscriptions. And lastly, in puranic literature, it suggests that kalinga extended up to the amarkantak hills in the west.