Kharavela

Khārabeḷa (Oriya: ଐର ମହାମେଘବାହନ ଖାରବେଳ, Aira Maha-Megha-Vahana Kharavela) (IAST: Khārabeḷa, Devanagari: खारवेल, Odia: ଖାରବେଳ) (193 BC – after 170 BCE) was the greatest emperor of the Maha-Megha-Vahana Dynasty of Kaḷinga (present-day Orissa state of India). The Chedi dynasty of Kaḷinga under the kingship of Khārabeḷa ascended to eminence and restored the lost power and glory of Kaḷinga, which was subdued since the devastating Kaḷinga war with Ashoka. All these happened within a century of Ashokan era. The Kaḷingan military might was reinstated by Khārabeḷa. Under Khārabeḷa's generalship, the Kaḷinga state had a formidable maritime reach with trade routes linking it to the then Simhala (Sri Lanka), Burma (Myanmar), Siam (Thailand), Vietnam, Kamboja (Cambodia), Borneo, Bali, Samudra (Sumatra) and Jabadwipa (Java). On the religious side, though extremely liberal, Emperor Khārabeḷa patronised Jainism.

Emperor Khārabeḷa (ଖାରବେଳ) led many successful campaigns against states of Magadha, Anga, Satavahanas and the then South Indian regions of Pandyan Empire, present Andhra Pradesh state, and expanded Kaḷinga till the river Ganges in North and river Kaveri in South, with full West to East coverage. Khārabeḷa (ଖାରବେଳ) was the third ruler of the Mahāmeghabāhana dynasty. The main source of information about Khārabeḷa is his famous seventeen line rock-cut......
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