Introduction (Southern Kalinga)

Southern Kalinga in the medieval period consisted of many a small kingdom ruled over by many a local dynasty. Such were the Matsyas of Oddadi, the Gangas of Jantarnadu, the Pallavas of Virakuta, the Silas of Nandapura etc besides the chalukyas and the Haihayas dealt with already. All these dynasties had long leases of life and owed nominal or no allegiance to the Eastern Ganga emperors whose control over Trikalinga or the Kalingan empire was never effective in this period and was definitely on the downward move in the latter part the local dynasties grew stronger as the central power grew weaker. Kalinga especially South Kalinga—was the invading ground for the conquerors from the south, west and north—the Cholas, the Chalukyas and the Muslims respectively. The local dynasties, because of their geographical position were not seldom the tarjets of attacks by the invaders to whom they had to submit at times. Their political importance lay in that they either threw in their weight with the Gangas against the enemy or vice versa. Sometimes, the local rulers led expeditions of conquest and advanced as far as Draksharama in Vengi. They even contracted alliances of marriage with the local rulers in Vengi. This sounds natural for the names of some of the dynasties—for instance the Gangas, the Matsyas, the Chalukyas, the Konas and the Pallavas are exactly same as those of some of the major dynasties and subsidiary powers in South—India—suggesting, obviously their southern origin, though it is not possible to see when and how they separated from the major dynasties migrated and settled down in South Kalinga. The power of the local dynasties, declined with the establishment of the Gajapati dynasty and the kingdoms as such are not heard of after A.D. 1500. But in their place, we hear of a number of viceroyalties and governorships hereditary and otherwise in the Gajapati regime.