Odisha's Historical Background
According to political scientist Sudama Misra, the Kalinga janapada originally included the Puri and Ganjam districts. According to some scriptures (Mahabharata and Puranas), king Bali, the Vairocana and Sutapa's son, had no sons. As a result, he asked the sage Dirghatamas to bless him with sons. The sage is said to have had five sons from his wife, Queen Sudesna. The princes' names were Anga, Vanga, Kalinga, Sumha, and Pundra. The princes later established kingdoms bearing their names. Vanga kingdom was founded by the prince Vanga in what is now Bangladesh and West Bengal. The prince Kalinga established the kingdom of Kalinga in what is now coastal Odisha, including the North Sircars. Kalinga is mentioned several times more in the Mahabharata. Srutayudha, the king of Kalinga and the son of Varuna and the river Parnasa, had joined the Kaurava camp in the Kurukshetra War. His father had given him a divine mace at the request of his mother, which protected him as long as he wi...