Part 16 - The Origin Myths (of the Mahanadi Delta and the Gangas)

[Full title: The Origin Myths and the Dynastic Traditions (of the Mahanadi Delta and the Gangas)]

The ruling lineages during the first phase often found to establishing their links with stories of Epic and Puranic traditions. The Nalas and the Pundavamsis in their epigraphs celebrated their mythical origin (associated with Puranic traditions) as an aspiration of religious validation of their rule. This found as a continuing feature in the course of time up to the end of thirteenth century A.D.

Likewise, the Sailodbhaba epigraphs contain origin myth in association with divine figures. The mythical figure Pulindasena, who renounced kingship and prayed to the god Svayambhu and the originator of the said dynasty emerged out from a rock. The Cuttack Museum plates equates Svayambhu with Siva, the God Sailodbhabas mostly worshipped. Scholars suggested that this account carries the probable indications of the Sailodbhaba to be originated from hilly or rocky tracts of land.^[1] This account actually symbolises Pulindasena with the link between the local tribes and the emergence of the Sailodbhaba ruling lineages.

The Bhanjas of Khiinjali mandala demonstrated as emerged from the egg of a pea-hen, which in similar manner depicted the story of a miraculous progenitor continued and strengthen by the later Bhanja rulers. This was further associated with the famous place of sage Vsistha, where he nurture the Ganadanda. It shows how this pattern of mythical accounts get connected with the main stream Brahmanical religiosity. The Transformation of non-Brahmanical elements into Brahmanical was similarly visible in the accounts of the Somavamsis and the imperial Gangas. The Epic-Puranic co-relation is clearly discernible in Korni Palates and Vishakhapattanam Plates of saka year 1040, where several figures of divine or semi-divine imports included the list of Ganga genealogy.

The eulogistic introductions of the epigraphs sometimes found with exaggerated descriptions of success stories of respective royal patrons but also provide valuable information about dynastic rulers. Titles denoting territorial claims like Sakala-Kaling-Adhipati, Tri-Kaling-Adhipati, in the Regional phase, was not always precisely indicative with their claims but in a way representing the territorial ideal of the kingship aspired during their ages.

The themes found in prasastis of phase I and II, are generally deals with the bravery and military calibre of the reigning kings with descriptions of their physical beauty and other qualities of their personalities that made them admirable among the ruled. In several occurrence kings were compared with the heroes and legendary kings of Mahabharata like Puru, Dilipa, Yudhisthira, Prthu, Nala, Nahusa, Mandhata, Bharata, Bhagiratha, and Bhima.

Kings of Early medieval Orissa were often referring themselves as the remover of the stain of Kali age, they were being eulogised for their efforts to counter the degeneration and destructive forces. The earliest instances of Kali age found in the plates of Maharaja Gopacandra (Jayarampur plates) and in inscriptions of Gangas of Kalinganagara around 5^th -6^th century AD. This practice continued throughout the ages of Early Medieval period.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Y.R. Gupte,’Kondedda Grant Of Dharmaraja,’ Epigraphica Indica, 19, 1927-28, PP. 265-71, p. 266