Chodaganga: The Illustrious Ganga King of Odisha and His Times

Contents: Preface. 1. Historical background. 2. Early career of Chodaganga. 3. Conquests of Chodaganga. 4. Extent of the empire and the location of the capital. 5. Administration. 6. Society. 7. Economic condition. 8. Religion. 9. Art and architecture. Conclusion. Appendices. Bibliography. Index. Plates.

In this book an attempt has been made to highlight the remarkable political career of Chodaganga and the socio-cultural milieu of his kingdom in Odisha. Chodaganga was probably a singular ruler of Odisha who held the reins of administration for long seventy years - at least fifty years of his active political career were unique in the history of Odisha. His reign constituted a glorious phase in the political and cultural history of early and medieval Odisha. He brought the political unification of the major portions of Odisha and erected the giant structure of an empire in South-Eastern India thus contributing to the formation of greater Ganga state. He was, therefore, to be compared with Mahameghavahana Kharavela who ruled Kalinga in the post-Maurya period and with Gajapati Kapilendra Deva who was the king of Odisha three hundred years after the end of his reign. The formation of a regional empire after a long military endeavour was the unique achievement of Chodaganga which lasted for more than three hundred years despite repeated Muslim onslaught from different parts of India. The glory of Chodaganga as a monarch thus rested on his superb statesmanship and his extra-ordinary military generalship which enabled him to be a mighty sovereign of a vast stretch of territory from the Ganges to Godavari. He was also the great builder of the famous Jagannatha temple in Puri which stands as a masterpiece of Kalinga art and architecture.