The Kalinga Heritage

Kalinga on the east coast of India has a unique regional history that dates back to antiquity. Its culture and tradition bear imprint of many civilizations of South-East Asia. In the early historic period the people of Kalinga migrated to Far East and established colonies in island countries of the Indian Ocean. They demonstrated the unprecedented power of non-violence as far back as in the third century B.C. which inspired Emperor Asoka to denounce war and preach peace. The history and heritage of Kalinga are more talked about than recorded. This book makes an attempt to revisit the glorious history of Kalinga by exploring epigraphic records in India, Indonesia and Sri Lanka. The author has critically analysed the ancient inscriptions, numismatic sources, travel records, sculptures and scriptures to unravel the lesser-known aspects of Kalinga. The outcome is not just exciting but challenging for the scholars to go deeper into the subject.