The Kalinga War was fought in ancient India between the Mauryan Empire under Ashoka and the state of Kalinga, an autonomous feudal kingdom located on the east coast, in modern-day Odisha and northern Andhra Pradesh in 262 BC. The fight is thought to have taken place on Dhauli Hills in Dhauli, which is located on the banks of the Daya River. The Kalinga War was one of the bloodiest wars in Indian history. Kalinga had no ruler since it was traditionally administered without one. This article will explain to you the Kalinga war which will be helpful in Ancient History preparation for the UPSC Civil service exam.

Kalinga war (261 BC) - Background

• The Kalinga War was fought between Ashoka, the great Mauryan Emperor, and the ruler of the State of Kalinga, a feudal republic based on present-day Odisha and northern parts of Andhra Pradesh.
• It was one of the deadliest fights in World history.
• By the time Chandragupta Maurya died, the Mauryan Empire had included much of modern-day India, with its southern reaches and Kalinga remaining autonomous.
• Kalinga was strategically located, with trade routes reaching to Southeast Asia. It possessed several significant ports and a powerful fleet.
• A powerful kingdom on the outside of the Mauryan Empire would be troublesome because it would impede communication routes between Pataliputra, the Mauryan capital, and its possessions in the central Indian peninsula.
• Kalinga was ruled by the Nanda Empire until it collapsed in 321 BC. Chandragupta Maurya attempted but failed to capture the state.
• When his grandson Ashoka took the throne, he continued the invasion of Kalinga.

Kalinga war - Events

• Historians also disclose that Kalinga had already strengthened its military force and had enormous material riches due to trading links with Java, Malay, and Ceylon from the time of Chandragupta to the time of Ashoka, and Ashoka could not overlook Kalinga's importance for the Mauryan Empire.
• The Magadha Empire was envious of Kalinga's immense military might, riches, and power, thus Ashoka sought to re-establish Magadh supremacy in this kingdom.
• In the 12th year of Ashoka's reign, he sent a letter to the monarch of Kalinga, requesting that his realm be surrendered to the Mauryas.
• Kalingaraj, or the monarch of Kalinga, however, refused to bow to the Mauryan Empire.
• During the Kalinga War, Raja Ananta Padmanabha was the King of Kalinga.
• In 261 B.C, the two monarchs waged a massive battle.
• According to his own Edicts of Ashoka, the war was concluded in the ninth year of Ashoka's rule, most likely in 261 BCE.
• Rock Edict XIII - Mentions Kalinga's defeat.
• After a brutal fight for the crown following his father's death, Ashoka was victorious in conquering Kalinga - but the repercussions of the savagery affected Ashoka's ideas on war and drove him to vow never to undertake a conquest war again.
• According to Megasthenes, a Greek historian in the court of Chandragupta Maurya, Kalinga's monarch possessed a mighty force that included infantry, cavalry, and elephants.

Kalinga war - Outcome

• Ashoka was victorious and hence governed Kalinga. Ashoka witnessed the bloody battlefield firsthand.
• 100,000 soldiers lost their lives and 1,50,000 were captured as captives.
• A similar number of Mauryan troops were killed. On the battlefield, he witnessed the bodies of horses, elephants, and soldiers.
• There were blood streams everywhere.
• Orphaned children were sobbing. In anguish, wounded individuals were writhing on the ground.
• Countless individuals suffered as a result of the conflict.
• In front of his eyes, the entire Kalinga was annihilated. He captured Kalinga, but not a single individual was left to live as a slave.
• He couldn't remain much longer and led his soldiers back to Pataliputra with a sorrowful heart.

Kalinga war - Aftermath

• The Kalinga War had a significant impact on Ashoka.
• It is most likely the only fight in the annals of ancient Indian history that resulted with a would-be conqueror laying down his sword.
• The Kalinga War inspired Ashoka, who was already a non-attached Buddhist, to devote the rest of his life to ahimsa (nonviolence) and dharma-Vijaya (victory through dharma).
• Following the conquest of Kalinga, Ashoka put a halt to the empire's military growth and began a period of more than 40 years of relative peace, harmony, and prosperity.
• While Ashoka's doctrine of peace provided unity to the empire in the short term, it weakened its ability to defend itself from external attacks in the long run.

Significance of the Kalinga war in the Indian History

• Even after conquering the Kalinga war, Ashoka the Great was dissatisfied.
• He was overcome with despair when he witnessed Kalinga's horrific state, complete with blood and tears. Kalinga's loss as a result of the conflict was devastating.
• He was dissatisfied because he had defeated Kalinga at a high cost in human life.
• The scenes of death, misery, suffering, tears, and blood he witnessed on the battlefield gave him no rest of mind and tormented him constantly.
• He realised that any sort of battle may have a long-term impact on the survivors' thoughts and lives.
• The Kalinga War inspired him to devote the remainder of his life to nonviolence (Ahimsa) and Dhamma triumph (Dhamma-Vijaya).
• He proclaimed that the true conquest in life is conquest by dharma, not conquest through violence. He adopted Buddhism as his religion.
• Ashoka vowed that he would never again take up weapons. He put a halt to the empire's military expansion. His first and only conflict was the Kalinga war.
• He made important modifications to Magadh's state policies. Magadhan imperialism came to an end.
• The Magadhan monarchs' age-old policy of war and conquest likewise came to an end. The empire established a new policy of peace and nonviolence.
• Except for the far south, Ashoka ruled the entire Indian subcontinent after the Kalinga war.
• His Dhamma rules were carved into rocks and stone pillars. Missionaries were dispatched to various nations to preach Buddhism and Dhamma so that more people may adapt to a nonviolent way of life.
• Such inscriptions may still be discovered today, both in India and elsewhere.
• Ashoka the Great led the Mauryan Empire through 40 years of peace, harmony, humanism, love, nonviolence, and wealth.
• The Mauryan dynasty and the Mauryan Empire disintegrated after Ashoka's death in 232 BC.

Conclusion

The Kalinga War took place in ancient India between the Mauryan Empire led by Ashoka and the state of Kalinga, an autonomous feudal kingdom on India's east coast. Following Ashoka's death in 232 BC, the Mauryan dynasty and the Mauryan Empire crumbled. The Kalinga War is one of the most spectacular and well-known wars in Indian history. It is unsurpassed in terms of ferocity among all the terrible and brutal fights conducted in Indian history.