Kalinganagara and Excavation at its present site

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Kalinganagara and Excavation at its present site

By Prof. B.C. Bhattacharya, M.A.

Journal of the Bihar and Orissa Research Society

Vol. 14, part III & IV., 1929 pp. 623-634

p. 623

In the last issue of this journal, Mr. B. V,
Krishnarao contributed an article entitled "The
identification of Kalinganagara" and expressed his
unqualified conviction in favour of his new
identification, which is, in fact, an old one,
attempted long ago by Mr. G.V. Ramamurty in the pages
of Epigraphia Indica, Volume IV, 1896-1897. From the
present article, reiterating the old views of Mr.
Ramamurty, scholars can derive no fresh information
of any importance. Before controverting the writer's
arguments, let me first summarize the main points,
upon which both the old scholar Mr. Ramamurty and the
present scholar Mr. Krishnarao have based their
identical conclusion.

A. Kalinganagara, the old capital of the Kalinga
country, is to be identified with the present site of
Mukhalingam or the joint site of Mukhalingam and
Nagarakatakam, situated on the bank of the Vamsadhara
and at a distance of about 30 miles from the sea.
This identification has been arrived at by both the
writers from the evidence of some dedicatory
inscriptions found in the temple of God Madhukesvara.
The inscriptions differently refer to a 'Nagara' of
Kalinga, which they ask their readers to understand
as Kalinganagara. The passages occurring in the
inscriptions are: Kalingavani Nagare, Kalinga-Desa-
Nagare, Nagare Madhukesvarayam (the word 'Kalinga'
omitted).

B. The copper-plate inscription of Anantavarman,
dated 1040 of an unspecified era, edited by Fleet (1)
records the fact that Kamanava II, the nephew of
Kamarnava I, had a town named "Nagara," in which he
built a lofty temple for an emblem of God Isa in the
linga form to which he had given

1. Ind, Ant,, Vol, XVIII, pp. 170, off,

p. 624

the name of "Madhukesa" because it was produced by a
Madhuka tree. The temple still exists at Mukhalingam.
The inscription further informs us that Kamarnava I,
the alleged founder of the Ganga dynasty, had for his
capital the town named Jantavuram. Mr. Ramamurty gave
the following equations on the authority of a
Ksetramahatmya:-

Jantavuram = Jayantapuram = Madhukesvaram =
Mukhalingam.

Mr. Krishnarao, however, proves at length the
error of this identity and believes that the
Jantavuram is a misreading for Dantavuram to be
identified with Dantapuram. The word "Nagara"
mentioned in the inscriptions of Kamaranava II is to
be taken as "Madhu-Kesa" in the opinion of Mr.
Ramamurty and as Nagarakatakam in Mr. Krishnarao's
opinion.

C. Both the scholars undoubtedly affirm that
Nagarakatakam means a Royal residence in Nagara and
therefore it is to be equated with Kalinganagara, the
famous capital of Kalinga.

D. The sea-port place Kalingapatam showed to both
the scholars no ancient site nor any ruins worth
consideration whereas the Mukhalingam site furnished
them with old bricks, ruins of temples, carved
pillars of some past age. Hence the latter is to be
archaeologically judged to be the site of the ancient
capital Kalinganagara.

E. Mr. Krishnarao quotes from an inscription
found in the temple of Mukhalingesvara, which records
a grant to the dancers and musicians of the God
Madhukesvara issued from Kalinganagara itself by
Anantavarman and feels convinced that the form "From
Kalinganagara" is to be interpreted as "in
Kalinganagara." He writes, "Svasti! Srimat
Kalinganagarat! etc." meaning "Hail! From the
Victorious Kalinganagara." Thus, when there is a
record concerning the dancers and musicians of the
temple of Madhukesvara in Kalinganagara, issued from
and inscribed in a prominent place in the temple
itself, in Kalinganagara, what stronger proof is
required to identify Mukhalingam and Nagarakatakam
with the ancient Kalinganagara?"

p. 625

Having outlined the principal contents of the
papers in question, let us now examine how far the
arguments advanced may be regarded as conclusive. Mr.
Krishnarao has evidently fallen into an error in his
supposition that the place, whence the royal grant
had been issued and the place wherein it is found now
are one and the same. In all such inscriptions
referred to by him, it is definitely stated
"Kalinganagarat (i.e. from Kalinganagara) and not
Kalinganagare (in Kalinganagara). Therefore such
conclusion is absolutely unwarranted and groundless.
There can be no objection, however, to his
identification of Mukhalingam with Madhukesvara or
Madhukalingam. But the passages occurring in the
Mukhalingam inscriptions, viz., Kalingavani Nagare,
Kalingadesa Nagare can mean in Sanskrit no more than
a town in the country of Kalinga or the town named
Nagara in the Kalinga country (Desa).