Orissa : From Place Names in Inscriptions C.260 B.C.-1200 A.D. (Cultural and Historical Geography)

Contents: Preface. 1. Geographical and historical background. 2. Topography. 3. Flora of the region. 4. Fauna of the region. 5. Settlements. 6. Administrative geography. 7. Society. 8. Economy. 9. Religious conditions. 10. Epilogue. Select bibliography. Index.

"Extended from 17º49’ -22º 34’N latitude and from 81º 29’E-87º 29’E longitude the state of Orissa has very beautiful topography and is well equipped with all sorts of natural sources.

"It started its political career with the rule of the Nanda dynasty of Magadha and enjoyed the prosperous regime of the King Kharavela. After the downfall of Kharavela different dynasties ruled over the territory up to the end of twelfth century A.D. All these dynasties tried to bring more and more land under cultivation by giving grants of lands and villages to Brahmanas and religious institutions. They also grouped these villages into different units for their proper administration. Many scholars have studied these place names for tracing the historical geography of the region but these names have rarely been taken into account for tracing the cultural history of region.

"Present volume presents the culture of Orissa as gleaned from place names mentioned in the inscriptions of the different dynasties and gives much emphasis on the meaning of the place names. The data obtained is corroborated and supplemented wherever possible and necessary with the evidence obtained from other sources (archaeological, literary, sculptural and epigraphical) and has been arranged under different heads such as topography, flora, fauna, settlements, administrative geography under different dynasties, society, economic conditions, religion etc. Hopefully, it would prove as an important source for the study of the cultural progress of the region and found interesting and thought provoking by discerning scholars." (jacket)