Report by Odisha Diary bureau, Bhubaneswar: The National Human Rights Commission has sought a report from Odisha police chief over the arrest of farmers in Bhubaneswar. The Commission has issued direction to the Director General of Police to submit its report within four weeks in the matter. Acting on a complaint of human rights activist Mr. Akhand, the commission has taken cognizance in the case. The petitioner has alleged before the commission that at least 26 members of Navnirman Krushak Sangathan, a farmers organisation were arrested in Bhubaneswar on 24 December as they highlighted their demand before Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik in front of state Secretariat. The organisation has been demanding bonus of rupees five hundreds over each quintal of paddy being sold by the farmers and monetary compensation of rupees two thousands per month to each family of farmers in the Phailin affected zones till the next harvest season - without delay. More than 50 farmers had been sitting on a Dharana in front of Odisha Assembly at Mahatma Gandhi Marg since December 9 after they failed to get appointment with the Chief Minister. In order to draw the government's attention towards problems facing the farmer community across the State, around 30 activists of the farmers' organisation displayed national flags and staged the demonstration by laying on the Sachivalaya Marg, completely blocking the movement of Odisha Chief Minister's carcade. It is surprising that the Bhubaneswar Commissionerate Police has slapped section 307 of IPC against arrested farmers, who were protesting peacefully. Police wants to suppress the ongoing agitation of farmers illegally, alleged Akhand. "If the Commissionerate Police slaps attempt to murder case against farmers for protesting peacefully, then it is easy to imagine what it may be doing in other serious cases. The incident shows misuse of power by the police, Akhand added. He prayed for a compensation of rupees 50 thousand to each farmer who are illegally arrested by police and withdraw fake case against innocent farmers. NHRC order DGP to submit the requisite information/report with in four weeks from the date of receipt of the notice. In default the commission may proceed to take such action as it deems proper.
Wednesday, 29 January 2014
Odisha: Congress revoked suspension of MLA Shivaji Majhi from party
With the Rajya Sabha elections to be held on February 6, the Congress on Wednesday revoked the suspension order against the party’s Lanjigarh MLA Shivaji Majhi . Earlier on Tuesday party revoked the suspension order against the party’s Chitrakonda MLA Mamata Madhi. The Congress has fielded Ranjib Biswal as its nominee in the RS polls. In April last, Madhi was suspended from the party on charge of defying the party whip as she remained absent during the voting of a no-trust motion in the Assembly against speaker Pradip Kumar Amat. Madhi’s support was crucial for success of the resolution, which could not be moved as the party failed to mop up the requisite support. Pradesh Congress Disciplinary Committee chairman Harihar Karan on Tuesday said Madhi had failed to reach the Assembly due to communication problems on that day.
Tuesday, 28 January 2014
detailed history
Historical names of Odisha
The region which comprises the modern-day Orissa was not known by the same name throughout history. It and parts of it were referred by different names in different era.
- Kalinga: According to some scriptures (Mahabharata and some Puranas), a king Bali, the Vairocana, the son of Sutapa, had no sons. So, he requested the sage, Dirghatamas, to bless him with sons. The sage is said to have begotten five sons through his wife, the queen Sudesna. The princes were named Anga, Vanga, Kalinga, Sumha and Pundra. The princes later founded kingdoms named after themselves. The prince Vanga founded Vanga kingdom, in the current day region of Bangladesh and part of West Bengal. The prince Kalinga founded the kingdom of Kalinga, in the current day region of coastal Orissa, including the Northern Circars.Ptolemy, Pliny the elder and Claudius Aelianus have also mentioned one Calinga in their texts.
- Utkala: Utkala was a part of Kalinga in some parts of Mahabharata. Karna is mentioned to have conquered kingdom of Utkala among others But, according to other texts like Raghuvasma and Brahma Purana, they were separate kingdoms. There are several views regarding the etymology of the name. Utkala may have meant northern (uttara) part of Kalinga or ut-Kalinga.Utkala desha (country or land) may have meant the land of "finest art" (utkarsha kala). There are also other arguments regarding the origin of the name.
- Mahakantara: This name has been found in some Gupta-era inscriptions. It literally means "great forest" and it is usually identified with the modern-day Kalahandi and Jeypore region. The Mahabharata also mentions a Kantara, which may have or may not have referred to the same region.
- Udra: Udra (also Urda-desha) may have originally referred to an ethnic group or tribe called Udra. But later may have referred to the kingdom of Udra, around the coastal region of Orissa.[13]
- Orda: Odra (also Orda-desha) similar to Udra, may have meant a tribe of people called Odra, but later came to refer to the land of Odras.
- Oddiyana: Oddiyana, mentioned in some Buddhist texts, according to some scholars may have referred to Orissa.
- Kamala Mandala: Literally "lotus region", a circa 13th-century inscription found in Narla in Kalahandi refers to the region by this name.
- South Kosala: South Kosala (also Dakshina Kosala) may refer to the modern-day Chattisgarh and some part of Western Orissa. It not should be confused with Kosala, which is in current day Uttar Pradesh. According to Ramayana, one of Rama's sons Lava ruledUttara Kosala and his other son Kusha ruled over this region.
- Kongoda: A copper plate found in Ganjam district refers to region as Kongoda (also spelled Kangoda).[16]
- Trikalinga: This name has been found inscribed on some copper plates found in Sonepur. Tri-Kalinga may have literally meant "three Kalingas" and may have referred to the three states of Kalinga, South Kosala and Kangoda.[17]
- Chedi: Chedi (also known as Chedirashtra) referred to the kingdom of Kharavela. It was named after his dynasty, Chedi[18] (also Chetidynasty and Mahameghavahana dynasty).[10][13] It should not be confused with Chedi kingdom of western India.
- Tosali: Tosali (also spelled Toshali) referred to a city and the region around it was called Tosala, possibly a subdivision of Kalinga inAshoka-era. The capital of Tosala has been placed in modern-day Dhauli.[13] In later era (c. 600 CE), North Tosali (Uttara Tosali) and South Tosali (Daskhina Tosali) have been mentioned, which were possibly kingdoms north and south of the Mahanadi river.[18]
Prehistory[edit]
140 million years ago (mya), the peninsular India, including Orissa, was a part of the Gondwana supercontinent. Due to this, some of the oldest rocks in the subcontinent, dating to Precambrian times,[19] are found in Orissa. Some of the rocks, like the Mayurbhanj granitepluton, have been dated to 3.09 billion years ago (Ga).[20] The coal-fields in Mahanadi and Ib river basins are known to be one of the richest sites for fossils in the subcontinent.[21] This has led to the discovery of new species, like the charophytes from the PermianPeriod, which were found in the Talcher region and the Upper Permian megaspores from the Ib river area.[22]
In the districts of Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, Sundargarh and Sambalpur, Acheulian tools dating to Lower Paleolithic times have been discovered.[1]
Ancient Orissa[edit]
Ancient Texts[edit]
According to some scriptures (Mahabharata and some Puranas), a king Bali, the Vairocana and the son of Sutapa, had no sons. So, he requested the sage, Dirghatamas, to bless him with sons. The sage is said to have begotten five sons through his wife, the queen Sudesna.[2] The princes were named Anga, Vanga, Kalinga, Sumha and Pundra.[3][4] The princes later founded kingdoms named after themselves. The prince Vanga founded Vanga kingdom, in the current day region of Bangladesh and part of West Bengal. The prince Kalinga founded the kingdom of Kalinga, in the current day region of coastal Orissa, including the North Sircars.[5]
The Mahabharata also mentions Kalinga several more times. Srutayudha, the king of Kalinga, son of Varuna and river Parnasa,[23] had joined the Kaurava camp in the Kurukshetra War. He had been gifted a divine mace by his father on request of his mother, which protected him as long he wielded it. But, Varuna had warned his son, that using it on a non-combatant will cause the death of the wielder himself. In the frenzy of battle, harried by Arjuna's arrows, he made the mistake of launching it at Krishna, Arjuna's charioteer, who was unarmed. The mace bounced off Krishna and killed Srutayudha.
In the Buddhist text, Mahagovinda Suttanta, Kalinga and its ruler, Sattabhu, have been mentioned.[24]
In the 6th century sutrakara (chronicler), Baudhayana, mentions Kalinga as not yet being influenced by Vedic traditions.[25] He also warns his people from visiting Kalinga (among other kingdoms), saying one who visits it must perform penance.[26]
Pre-Mauryan[edit]
Mahapadma Nanda the ruler of Magadha is presumed to have conquered Kalinga during his reign around c. 350 BCE. The Hathigumphainscriptions mentions the suzerainty of the Nandas in the Kalinga region.[27] The inscriptions also mention irrigation projects undertaken by the Nanda kings in the state during their reign.[28]
In Asurgarh, beads and punched coins belonging to an unknown king dating to the pre-Mauryan period have been discovered.[29]
Mauryan occupation[edit]
Further Information: Ashoka and Kalinga War
Ashoka of the Mauryan dynasty conquered Kalinga in the bloody Kalinga War in 261 BCE[30] which was the 8th year[31] of his reign. According to his own edicts, the war about 1,000,000 people were killed, 1,500,000 were captured and several more were affected.[30] The resulting bloodshed and suffering of the war deeply affected Ashoka. He turned into a pacifist and converted to Buddhism.[31]
The Kalingans had used personnel from the Atavika region, which was in the west of Kalinga, during the war.[29] According to his edicts, Ashoka conquered the coastal region of Kalinga but didn't try to conquer the Atavika region.[10] The Mauryans governed the Kalinga region as a province. They used Tosali as the regional capital and judiciary center. A kumara (viceroy) ruled from Tosali, modern-day Dhauli.Samapa, modern-day Jaugada, was another administrative centre.[30] Ashoka erected two edicts in the region, at Jaugada and Dhauli.
Kharavela[edit]
Main article: Kharavela
In the 1st century BCE, Mahameghavana established the Mahameghavahana dynasty in Kalinga. Kharavela was the third ruler of the dynasty. He reigned in the second half of the 1st century BCE. Most of the information about Kharavela comes from the Hathigumpha inscription inUdayagiri near Bhubaneswar. The inscription also calls the dynasty as Chedi (also spelledCheti)[18][28] but it is not the same as the Chedi kingdom of western India. The inscription records his life from his boyhood to his 13th regnal year.
- Reigning year 1–5 : Kharavela took up the administration after the premature death of his father as a yuvaraj (heir apparent). He ascended to the throne as a proper King when he came of age at 24, around c. 170 BCE, but the date is contentious by several decades.[32] In the first year of his coronation, he repaired the gates and ramparts of his capital Kalinganagari which had been damaged by storm. In the second year, he invaded the territory of the Satavahana kingSatakarni I and marching up to the Kanha-bemna river (possibly Krishna river) stormed the city of Musikas. In the 3rd year of his reign, he organized various performances of dance and music and delighted the people of the capital. In the fourth year, he again invaded the Satavahana kingdom and extended his political supremacy over the region. In the fifth year he is known to have renovated the aqueduct that was originally excavated three hundred years back by the Nandas.[28]
- Reigning year 6–10 : In the sixth year, he remitted taxes and gave benevolences both in urban and rural areas of his kingdom. The account of his seventh year is not known. But that year his chief queen, Queen of Vajiraghara (“The Queen of the Diamond Palace”) gave birth to a child. In his eighth regnal year he led a military expedition against Rajagaha (Rajagriha). By that time the Yavana (Indo-Greeks) who were in possession of Mathura were advancing towardsPataliputra. But getting the news of the triumph of Kharavela at Rajagriha the Yavana king had to retreat to Mathura. Kharavela pursued the Yavana ruler, Dimita (possibly Demetrius I)[32] and purged them out of Mathura, which was an important seat of Jain religion and culture. In commemoration of this achievement, he built a victory palace in Kalinga at a cost of thirty-eight hundred thousand penas during the ninth year of his reign. In the tenth regnal year, he again invaded northern India the account of which is not clearly known.[28]
- Reigning year 11–13 : In the eleventh year of his reign, Kharavela defeated the Dramira country which had been in existence for hundred and thirteen years before his time. In the twelfth year, he invaded northern India for the third time and advanced as far asUttarapatha. On his return, he terrorized Magadha. Bahasatimita (a Sunga king), the king of Magadha surrendered and Kharavela brought back the statue of Kalinga Jina. Kalinga Jina was the statue of Rishabhanatha, which had been taken away from Kalinga by Mahapadmananda three hundred years back and its restoration was considered to be a great achievement of Kharavela. In his thirteenth reigning year, Kharavela excavated a number of cave-dwellings in the Kumari hills for the Jain monks and bestowed endowments for them. Jainism greatly flourished in Kalinga under the patronage of Kharavela. He was also extending liberal patronage towards other religious communities and earned great reputation as the worshipper of all faiths and the repairers of all temples. He also built the caves at Udayagiri and Khandagiri for Jain monks.[28]
The record stops at his 13th regnal year. It is presumed that he was succeeded by his son, Kudepasiri.[10] The Mahameghavahana dynasty (or a successor Sada dynasty) probably continued to rule over Kalinga and Mahishaka as evident from the inscriptions and coins discovered at Guntupalli and Velpuru, Andhra Pradesh, which mention a series of rulers with the suffix Sada.[33]
Kushanas, Satavahanas and Murundas[edit]
| Orissa Timeline | |
|---|---|
| 500 BCE – 1200 CE | |
| c. 350 BCE | Mahapadma Nanda conquers Kalinga |
| 261 BCE | Ashoka conquers Kalinga in the Kalinga War |
| c. 170 BCE | Coronation of Kharavela |
| 600 CE | Shashanka invades Kalinga |
| c. 639 CE | Hiuen-Tsang visits Oddiyana |
| c. 885 CE | Janmejaya I establishes the Somavamsi dynasty |
| c. 1135 CE | Anantavarman Codaganga shifts his capital to Kataka |
| c. 1245 CE | Narasimhadeva I builds the Konark temple |
| c. 1278 CE | Queen Chadrika builds the Ananta Vasudeva Temple |
The Kushana empire may have reached Kalinga or parts of it during the first three centuries[18] of the common era as evident from coins found at several places in notably in Jaugada, Sisupalgarh and Gurubai in Manikapatana (Puri) among others. It should be noted that more imitation coins are found than real ones. So, the local rulers possibly circulated them in the post-Kushana period. There is coin of one Maharaja Rajadhiraja Dharmadamadhara which has been found in Sisupalgarh. There is a Kushana motif on one side and a human head on the other.[34]
During the 3rd century, a tribe called Murundas, ruled from Pataliputra. They have been speculated to have arrived from Central Asia. They used to issue coins similar to Kushana coins.[35]
But other than these mostly numismatic evidences, this period of history is mostly in the dark.
Guptas, Matharas and Sarabhapuriyas[edit]
Samudragupta is presumed to have conquered the region, as in his Allahabad inscription, it has been mentioned that, he had conquered Mahêndra of Kôsala, Vyâghraraja of Mahâkantâra, Mantarâja of Kêrala, Mahêndra of Pishtapura, Svâmidatta of Kottûra on the hill, Damana of Êrandapalla, Vishnugôpa of Kâñchi, Nîlarâija of Avamukta, Hastivarman of Vengî, Ugrasêna of Palakka, Kubêra of Dêvarâshtra, Dhanamjaya of Kusthalapura, and others. Pishtapura (modern-day Pithapuram) is presumed to be the then capital of Kalinga. Mahakantara is presumed to be parts of western Orissa and Central India. Kottura is traced to modern day Ganjam district.[11]
In post-Samudragupta period, a new dynasty called Matharas arose in south Kalinga, they ruled from Pishtapura but also issued copper grants from Simhapura.[36] Their kingdom was probably spread from Mahanadi to Godavari.[37]
Another dynasty of rulers arose in western Orissa during post-Gupta period, they are called Sarabhapuriya dynasty. Not much is known about this dynasty. Everything known about them, comes from the inscriptions on copper plates and coins. They may or may not have also been known as the Amararyakula dynasty.[38] This dynasty is supposed to have started by one Sarabha, who may have been a feudal chief under the Guptas. They ruled over the modern-day region of Raipur, Bilaspur and Kalahandi.[38] Their rule lasted from c. 499 to about 700 CE.
Eastern Ganga Dynasty[edit]
Main article: Eastern Ganga dynasty
Indravarman I is assumed to be the earliest known king of the Eastern Ganga dynasty. His Jirjingi grant mentions no predecessors and was issued in his 39th[39] regnal year, c. 537 CE. He had his capital at Dantapura. Another plate found also mentions him defeating a Vishnukundina king called Indra Bhattaraka.[40] Many rulers of this dynasty went by the title Trikalingadhipati,[41] literally the "lord of the three Kalingas". The capital was later shifted to Kalinganagara, later during the reign of Devendravarman I (c. 652–682?). Orissa was conquered by Raja Raja Chola Iand Rajendra Chola I of the Chola dynasty in the early 11th century.[42][43]
The capital was again shifted to Kataka by Anantavarman Codaganga in 1135.[44] He is said to have started building the Puri Jagannathtemple.[45] The temple was later completed by his successor Anagabhimadeva III. Narasimhadeva I is known to have built the Konark temple.
During this period, c. 639 CE, Hiuen-Tsang visited a region called Oddiyana, which according to some scholars refers to modern-day Orissa.
In 1187, Nissanka Malla who ascended to the throne in Sri Lanka claimed to have descended from Kalinga. In 1215, an invader from Kalinga, called Kalinga Magha landed in Sri Lanka and established the Jaffna kingdom.
Medieval Orissa[edit]
| Orissa Timeline | |
|---|---|
| 1200 CE - 1800 CE | |
| 1434 CE | Coronation of Kapilendradeva |
| c. 1467 CE | Sarala Dasa writes the Oriya Mahabharata |
| 1559 CE | Mukunda Deva seizes the throne |
| 1568 CE | Kalapahad invades Orissa |
| 3 March 1575 | Battle of Tukaroi takes place in Balasore |
| 1623 | Shah Jahan visits Orissa |
| 1751 | Alivardi Khan cedes Orissa to Marathas |
Gajapati Dynasty[edit]
Main article: Gajapati Kingdom
The Gajapati Dynasty was established by Kapilendra Deva in 1435,[34] after the fall of the last Eastern Ganga king, Bhanudeva IV. The dynasty is also known as aSuryavamsi dynasty. In about 1450, Kapilendra Deva installed his eldest son, Hamira, as the governor of Rajamundry and Kondavidu.[46][47] Kapilendra Deva managed spread his kingdom from Ganga in the north to as far as Bidar in the south by 1457.[48]
During Kapilendra Deva's reign, Sarala Dasa, the Oriya poet, wrote the Oriya Mahabharata and his other works.[49]
When Kapilendra Deva died in 1467, a civil war occurred to capture the throne, among his sons. In the end, Purushottama Deva succeeded in securing the throne in 1484 by defeating Hamvira.[47] But, during this period significant southern parts of the empire were lost to Saluva Narasimha, the ruler of Vijayanagara. By the time of his death, he had managed to recover some these territories.
He was succeeded by his son, Prataparudra Deva, in 1497. Immediately, he had to faced the armies of Alauddin Husain Shah of Bengal. During his reign, Alauddin Husain Shah attacked again in 1508, this time the Muslim army marched up to Puri. In 1522, Quli Qutb Shah ofGolconda ousted the Oriya army from Krishna-Godavari tract.[48]
Govinda Vidyadhara was a minister under, Gajapati king, Prataparudra Deva.[47] But, he rebelled against him and succeeded in ascending the throne in 1541, after murdering the two sons of Prataparudra Deva.[48]
Bhoi Dynasty[edit]
The Bhoi Dynasty[50] was founded by Govinda Vidyadhara who came to throne in a bloody coup, in 1541.[48] The dynasty was short-lived and during this period the kingdom came under conflict with neighbouring kingdoms and reeled with civil wars. First, Raghubhanja Chhotray who was the nephew of Govinda Vidyadhara, became a rebel. Govinda was succeeded by his son, Chakrapratap, who was an unpopular ruler. After he died in 1557, a minister called Mukunda Deva rebelled. He killed the last two Bhoi kings and squashed the rebellion of Raghubhanja Chhotray. After that, he declared himself the ruler of Orissa.[48]
Mukunda Deva[edit]
Mukunda Deva (also known as Mukunda Harichandana)[50] came to throne, in 1559, in a bloody coup. According to the Madala Panji(temple records), he was a Chalukya.[50] During this period, Orissa was going through many internal conflicts. Mukunda stuck an alliance with Akbar, that he made him a foe of Sulaiman Khan Karrani, the ruler of Bengal. Sulaiman sent his son, Bayazid Khan Karrani and his infamous general, Kalapahad, to conquer Orissa, in 1567.
Mukunda met the forces in the north but had to withdraw to stop a rebellion after signing a treaty with the Sultan's son.[50] Mukunda was killed in a battle with the rebel forces led by Ramachandra Bhanja. Ramachandra Bhanja was a feudal lord under Mukunda, who had rebelled. He himself got caught up in the conflict and was murdered by Bayazid.[51] Akbar was preparing for the invasion of Chittor, so he was unable to respond. Kalapahad ran across the kingdom in a plundering spree and destroyed several temples.[50] By end of 1568, Orissa was under the control of Sulaiman Khan Karrani.
During this period, Ramachandra Deva I, who was the son of a general and had been imprisoned by Mukunda, escaped from prison and fled to Vizagapatam.[49]
1568[edit]
1568 is considered an important date in the history of Orissa, as Mukunda Deva is considered the last independent ruler of Orissa. After 1568, the region saw a steady decline. Orissa was not to be an independent kingdom again.[50]
Later in 1920, Oriya playwright, Ashwini Kumar Ghose wrote a play called Kala Pahada based on the exploits of Kalapahad and the tragic death of Mukunda Deva. The play is considered one of the greatest tragedies in Oriya literature.[52]
Karrani occupation[edit]
In 1568, Orissa came under the control of Sulaiman Khan Karrani of Karrani dynasty, who was the ruler of Sultanate of Bengal.
In the Battle of Tukaroi, which took place in modern-day Balasore, Daud Khan Karrani was defeated and retreated deep into Orissa. The battle led to the Treaty of Katak in which Daud ceded the whole of Bengal and Bihar, retaining only Orissa. The treaty eventually failed after the death of Munim Khan (governor of Bengal and Bihar) who died at the age of 80. Daud took the opportunity and invaded Bengal. This led to the Battle of Rajmahal in 1576, where Daud was defeated and executed.[53][54]
Mughal occupation[edit]
In 1590, Qutlu Khan Lohani, an officer of Daud,[55] declared himself independent and assumed the title of "Qutlu Shah". Raja Man Singhwho was the Mughal governor of Bihar, started an expedition against him. Before facing Man Singh, Qutlu Shah died. Qutlu Khan's son Nasir Khan, after little resistance, accepted Mughal sovereignty and paid homage to Man Singh on 15 August 1590. Nasir Khan was then appointed Governor of Orissa and signed a treaty ceded the region of Puri. Nasir Khan remained faithful to the Mughal empire for two years but after that he violated the conditions of his treaty by laying siege to the Jagannath Temple of Puri. Man Singh attacked Nasir Khan and decisively defeated him on 18 April 1592 in a battle near the present day Midnapore town.[56] By 1593, Orissa had passed completely to the Mughal empire and was a part of Bengal Subah.
Under Akbar[edit]
Raja Ramachandra Deva, the king of Khurda, had accepted Akbar's suzerainty.[55] Akbar mostly followed a policy of non-interference in the local chieftains' matters. After Akbar, his son, Jahangir came to power, who followed a different policy. Under him, Orissa was made into a separate Subah and a governor, titled Subahdar, ruled in the name of the Mughal emperor.
Under Jahangir[edit]
Quasim Khan was appointed the governor of Orissa in 1606. During this period, the king of Khurda, Purusottam Deva was attacked by Mughal armies led by Kesho Das. He was defeated, and had to offer his sister and daughter along with dowry to buy peace.[55]
In 1611, Kalyan Mal, son of Todar Mal came to be the governor of Orissa. Kalyan Mal also attacked and defeated Purusottam Deva, who had to send his daughter to the Mughal harem.[55] In 1617, Kalyan was recalled to the court.
In 1617, Mukarram Khan became the governor of Orissa. He also tried attack Purusottam Deva. But, Purusottam Deva fled from Khurda. In 1621, Ahmad Beg was made the governor of Orissa. Purusottam Deva died in exile in 1622 and was succeed by his son Narasimha Deva. According to the Madala Panji (temple chronicles), prince Shah Jahan had visited Orissa in 1623, which was just after his rebellion.[57] Ahmad Beg remained governor until 1628.
Under Shah Jahan[edit]
In 1628, Shah Jahan became the Mughal emperor and Muhammad Baqar Khan was appointed the governor of Orissa. He extended his influence well into the kingdom of Golconda. In 1932, he was recalled. Shah Shuja was appointed by Shah Jahan as the Subahdar of Bengal from 1639 until 1660. From 1645 onwards, a deputy of Shuja called Zaman Teharani was the governor of Orissa.[55] In 1647, Narasimha Deva was beheaded by a Mughal general called Fateh Khan.[57]
Under Aurangzeb[edit]
In 1658, Shah Jahan took ill and Dara Shikoh took on as the royal regent. This led to a war of succession in which Aurangzeb emerged victorious in 1659. He imprisoned his own father, who later died in 1666. During this period of instability in the Mughal empire, several chieftains in Orissa had declared independence. Khan-i-Duran was appointed the governor under Aurangzeb and his reign was from 1660 to 1667. During this period, he crushed several rebel chieftains and subdued Mukunda Deva I, the then king of Khurda.[55]
Under Murshid Quli Khan[edit]
In 1707, Aurangzeb died and the control of Mughals over Orissa began to weaken. Murshid Quli Khan was made governor of Orissa in 1714. In 1717, he was also made the Nawab of Bengal. He swore fealty to the Mughal emperor but he was an independent ruler for all purposes. He took several measures to increase revenues and create several new Jagirs. In 1727, on his death, his son-in-law, Shuja-ud-Din became the Nawab of Bengal. Before that he was a deputy of Murshid in Orissa. During his time, several tracts of land were lost to neighbouring kingdoms.[55]
Under Shuja-ud-Din[edit]
In 1727, Taqi Khan, the son of Shuja-ud-Din, was made the governor. He got engaged in a war with Ramachandra Deva II. Ramachandra Deva II was imprisoned and was converted to Islam.[57][58] Ramachandra Deva II once visit Puri to the see car festival. Taqi Khan displeased by this advanced on Khurda and Ramachandra Deva II fled. Bhagirathi Kumar, son of Ramachandra Deva II, was declared king by Taqi Khan. Taqi Khan died in 1734. During his reign, several Islamic monuments were built in Orissa.[55]
His successor, Murshid Quli Khan II (alias. Rustam Jung), a Naib Nazim (deputy governor) of Shuja-ud-Din and also his son-in-law, allowed worship in Puri and he is said to have given his daughter to Ramachandra Deva II in marriage. He installed Padmanava Deva as king of Khurda in 1736 but replaced his by Birakesari Deva, son of Ramachandra Deva II in 1739. Shuja-ud-Din died in 1739 and was replaced by his son, Sarfaraz Khan. Sarfaraz Khan was defeated and killed in the Battle of Giria by Alivardi Khan. Rustam Jung marched against Alivardi Khan but he was defeated. Alivardi Khan was not a popular ruler.[55]
The Marathas started raiding Alivardi Khan's territory starting in 1742, aided by Rustam Jung and his allies.[59] These raids used quick hit-and-run tactics and were called bargis. Alivardi Khan unable to check the raids ceded Orissa to Raghoji Bhonsle I in 1751.
During this period, the idols of Jaganatha and other deities were removed from the temple several times, and hidden to save them fromiconoclasm.[55][57]
Maratha occupation[edit]
The river Subarnarekha served as the border between Bengal and Maratha-controlled Orissa.[60] Marathas used to collect a pilgrimage tax at Puri, which was exempt for paupers.[57]
In 1803, the British conquered the region during the Second Anglo-Maratha War, when majority of the Maratha forces were engaged elsewhere.[60]
Colonial era[edit]
| Orissa Timeline | |
|---|---|
| 1800 CE - 1947 CE | |
| 14 October 1803 | Fort of Barabati falls to the British |
| 1817 | The Paika Rebellion |
| 1866 | The Great Famine of 1886 (Na Anka Durvikhya) |
| 1 April 1936 | Orissa became a separate province |
| 15 August 1947 | India becomes independent |
The Portuguese were the first Europeans to build factories in Orissa. They had a settlement in Pipili in Balasore district. The British had established a settlement in Hariharpur (modern-day Jagatsinghpur), with the permission of the Mughal administrator, as early as 1633 to trade cotton goods. But it could not be maintain long because of the harsh climate, and Portuguese and Aracanesepirates.[34] In 1765, Lord Clive acquired the diwani of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa from titular Mughal emperor, Shah Alam II. But, only the Midnapore district was meant by Orissa, as rest of it had passed on to the Marathas.[18] Lord Clive had tried to negotiate the acquisition of Orissa from the Marathas. His successor,Warren Hastings, had also tried negotiating with the Marathas.
A Colonel Harcourt of the British Army sailed from Northern Circars on 3 August 1803 and landed on 25 August.[61] He marched from Ganjam with 5000 men on 8 September, to flush the Marathas out of the region.[62] On 18 September, Harcourt took control of Puri.[57] On 21 September, a second force had landed at Balasore and after taking control of the region, it sent reinforcements to Cuttack to help with the siege of the fort. On 14 October, the fort of Barbati was stormed and captured.[62]
On 17 December 1803, Raghoji II Bhonsle of Nagpur signed the Treaty of Deogaon (also Deogarh) in Orissa with the British after the Battle of Laswari and gave up the province of Cuttack (which included Mughalbandi, the coastal part of Orissa, Garhjat the princely states of Western Orissa,Balasore port, parts of Midnapore district of West Bengal).[27]
In 1817, the British had to suppress a paika rebellion. The paika were a landed militia who were exempted from taxes in lieu of their services. They were dissatisfied with the new British land laws and were led by Bakshi Jagabandhu,[35] a commander of the king of Khurda.[63]
Surendra Sai from Sambalpur region had started a rebellion against the British in 1827. During the Indian Rebellion of 1857, the princes of Orissa did not join the wars.
In 1866, Orissa was struck a great famine, called Na Anka Durvikhya[64] (literally the nine number famine) locally.[65] The death toll has been estimated to be about one million spread across different regions.[66] During the famine, Babu Bichitrananda Das and Gouri Shankar Roy decided to publish a magazine in Oriya. The first issue of Utakala Deepika appeared in 4 August 1866 from the newly Cuttack Printing Press. It dealt with issue of famine.[67] Though Christian missionaries had established a printing press in Cuttack in 1838, this was the first publication in Oriya.[68]
In 1870, Madhusudan Das became the first person from Orissa to acquire a graduate degree. He had completed his Bachelor of Arts fromCalcutta University and later went on to acquire a Master of Arts from the same university in 1873. He also acquired a law degree 1878.[69]He went on to become one of the foremost leaders from the state.
In 1885, Indian National Congress was founded. In 1920, it adopted reorganization of provinces according to linguistic basis as one its agendas.[70] This inspired many leaders in Orissa to form an Orissa Congress Committee and demand a separate province for the Oriya-speaking population.[71]
On 1 April 1936, Orissa was granted the status of a separate province. Odisha Day (Utkala Dibasa) is celebrated locally every year on 1 April to mark the day.
On 11 October 1938, Baji Rout, a ferry boy of 12 years, was shot dead by policemen in Dhenkanal district, when he refused to ferry them across the river.[72]
Post-independence[edit]
| Orissa Timeline | |
|---|---|
| 1947 CE – Present | |
| 1948 | Capital of Odisha shifted from Cuttack to Bhubaneswar |
| October 1999 | 1999 Odisha cyclone |
In 1948, Bhubaneswar replaced Cuttack as the political capital of the state of Odisha, a year after India gained its independence from Britain. The city of Bhubaneswar had been designed by the German architect Otto Königsbergerin 1946.
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