What was the history of Kalinga War ?

Contrary to Ashoka's expectations, the people of Kalinga fought with such great valor that on number of occasions they came very close to a victory. The soldiers of Kalinga perished in the battlefield fighting till their last breath for their independence. The victory ultimately rested with Ashoka.

After the battle, Ashoka embraced the concept of Dhammavijaya or Victory through Dhamma.

Ashoka sent missionaries to Srilanka, Macedonia, Greece and Syria to spread the message of Buddhism and peace.

The war took a tremendous toll of life and property. The 13th rock edict of Ashoka throws light on this war. Atleast 0.1 million Kalingans were killed while another 0.15 million were taken prisoners. And almost equal number of Magadha soldiers were also killed. There was not a single man left in Kalinga to live a life of slavery.

This is the singular instance of a war in history which brought about a complete change of heart in a stern ruler like Ashoka. The scene of the war presented a horrible sight, the whole terrain was covered with the corpses of soldiers, wounded soldiers groaned in severe pain, vultures hovered over their dead bodies, orphaned children mourning the loss of their nears and dears, widows looked blank and despaired.

This sight overwhelmed Ashoka. He realized that his victory at such a cost is not worthwhile. The whole war resulted in Ashoka's deviation towards Buddhism and after two and a half years he became an ardent follower of Buddhism under Acharya Upgupta.

The Kalinga war is the most famous war fought between the Mauryan Emperor Ashoka the Great and the State of Kalinga.

Kalinga was a feudal republic state now known as Odisha.

As a result, the Kalinga War became one of the most violent and terrible wars of ancient times. Its outcome became epoch-making to make it one of the most famous wars of world history.

This war was the last battle which Ashoka the Great ever fought.

Bindusara, the father of Ashoka had made some attempts to conquer Kalinga, but had been defeated.

ancient times Kalinga maintained her identity as a powerful state. It extended from the river Ganges in the east to the river Godavari in the south, covering the eastern seacoast of India

The war began in 261 BC which was the 8th year of the reign of Ashoka.

Its northern frontier touched the southern frontier of the Maurya Empire. Modern Orissa covers the core areas of ancient Kalinga.
The power of ancient Kalinga is known from several facts.

The king of Kalinga was Raja Anantha Padmanabhan during this time.

With many sea ports on her coast, Kalinga was a maritime power with oversee colonies. Her merchants and sailors crossed the Indian Ocean to carry on prosperous trade with south-east Asian countries. Ancient traditions of Burma refer to Kalinga colonies in that country.

After Bindusara’s death, Ashoka took complete charge to annex Kalinga.

From his researches on the ancient geographer Ptolemy’s works, Gerini came to the conclusion that, “The mighty people of Kalinga had established an empire in Burma long before Asoka led his victorious soldiers into Kalinga”

By taking ammunitions to protect their land, the brave and loyal people of Kalinga fought fiercely against the armies of The Mauryan Empire.

From the Buddhist and Jaina sources also one gets references to Kalinga’s maritime activities. For the fertility of the land because of rivers, and for commercial enterprises outside, the Kalinga people were rich and prosperous.

Around 100,000 Kalinga civilians and more than 10,000 of Ashoka’s own warriors died during this battle.

The Military power of Kalinga was also formidable. Ancient sources refer to her elephant forces as a cause of that strength. The Greek ambassador Megasthenes who lived in the court of Chandragupta Maurya referred indirectly to the military power of Kalinga.

The bloodshed in the war was so much that it is said, the Daya river running next to the battle field turned red with the blood of the slain.

The Battle of Kalinga was one of the bloodiest battles ever fought in Indian subcontinent.

According to him, the king of Kalinga in the days of the first Maurya Emperor, maintained for himself a standing bodyguard of “60,000 foot soldiers, 1,000 horsemen, and 700 elephants”.