Signs of Civilization
A region is considered to be civilized if
its people know the .art of writing, have a system for collecting taxes and
maintaining order, and possess social classes and specialists for performing
priestly, administrative and producing functions. Above all a civilized society
should be able to produce enough to support not only the actual producers
consisting of artisans and peasants but also consumers who are not engaged in
production. All these elements make for civilization. But they appear in a
large part of eastern India on a recognizable scale very late. Practically no
written records are found in the greater portions of eastern Madhya.
Pradesh and the adjoining areas of Orissa,
of West Bengal, of Bangladesh and of Assam till the middle of the fourth century
A.D The period from the fourth to the seventh century is remarkable for the
diffusion of an advanced rural economy, formation of state systems and
delineation of social classes in eastern Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, eastern Bengal
and southeast Bengal, and Assam, This is indicated by the distribution of a
good number of inscriptions in these areas in Gupta times Many inscriptions
dated in the Gupta era are found in these areas.
They are generally in the form of land
grants made by feudatory princes and others for religious purposes to Buddhists
and brahmanas and also to Vaishnavite temples and Buddhist monasteries. These
beneficiaries played an important role in spreading and strengthening elements
of danced culture the process can be understood by attempting a region wise
survey.
Orissa and Eastern and Southern Madhya Pradesh
Kalinga or the coastal Orissa, south of the
Mahanadi, leapt into importance under Asoka, but a strong state was founded in
that area only m the first century B. C. Its ruler Kharavela advanced as far as
Magadha. In the first and second centuries AD the ports of Orissa carried on
brisk trade m pearls, ivory and muslin.
Excavations at Sisupalgarh, the site of
Kalinganagari which was the capital of Kharavela at a distance of 60 km from Bhubaneswar,
have yielded several Roman objects indicating trade contacts with the Roman Empire.
But the greater part of Orissa, particularly northern, Orissa, neither
experienced state formation nor witnessed much commercial activity. In the
fourth century Kosala and Mahakantara figure in the list of conquests made by
Samudragupta. They covered parts of northern and western Orissa. From .the
second half of the fourth century to the sixth century several states were
formed in Orissa, and at least five of them can be clearly identified.
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