East India - Orissa
Orissa, on the eastern coast of India, was once a settlement of non-Aryan and Aryan settlers, called Kalinga. Orissa has a chequered history which has successfully assimilated and synthesised the best of Buddhist, Jain and Hindu cultures. It was a formidable maritime empire with trading routes stretching up to Bali, Sumatra, Indonesia and Java. It's international trade and immense wealth was coveted by many rulers.
It was here that the famous Battle of Kalinga was fought in 261 BC. This was the battle that made the great Mauryan Kshatriya (warrior caste) king Ashoka forsake war to become a Buddhist. He went on to spread the Buddhist message of ahimsa and peace to Ceylon (modern day Sri Lanka) and the Far East.
Kharavela, who ruled around 1st century BC, was a staunch follower of Jainism, and it is to this period that Orissa owes its Jain art and architectural tradition.
During the 7th to 13th century AD, Orissa flourished. Trade and commerce increased and along with them evolved art and architecture. The style of Hindu temple construction, so unique to Orissa also developed around this time under the rule of the Kesari and Ganga Kings. Orissa is probably the only state where one can study temple architecture in all its successive stages of development. The region became a part of the Mughal Kingdom in the 16th century. Later the Marathas occupied Orissa and continued to do so till the British took over in 1803.
Orissa is predominantly rural, with fertile green coastal plains rising to the hills of the Eastern Ghats. The state's agricultural economy is often destabilized by natural disasters, including floods, droughts and cyclones. However, flooding in the Mahanadi Delta, which used to occur regularly, has been substantially reduced by the building of the Hirakud Dam. The state is mineral rich and is a big exporter of iron ore.
The Oriyas, 25% of whom are indigenous peoples (adivasis), are very friendly and hospitable.
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