Rulers may come, rulers may go, but great ones live forever. Though no such proverb exists, this is very much true in the case of various dynasties and kingdoms that once existed in the princely states of India. The ruling era started with the coming of Kushanas who landed in Kalinga during the first three centuries. The main evidence of the existence of Kushanas in Kalinga is the coins that were found in Jaugada, Sisupalgarh, and Gurubai. Not only real coins but imitation coins too were found in various locations that suggest the role of local rulers in circulating the coins post-Kushana rule. Maharaja Rajadhiraja Dharmadamadhara’s coin too was excavated from Sisupalgarh, and this coin had a Kushana motif on one side and a human head on the other side.

Later on, in c. 335 CE Samudragupta expanded his rule to Kalinga. Under his rule, Pishtapura was the capital of Kalinga. After the Mauryan rule came to an end, a new dynasty called Matharas came to power in south Kalinga. They ruled from Pishtapura and issued copper grants from Simhapura. Yet another dynasty arose in western Odisha named the Sharabhapuriya dynasty. Not much is known about this dynasty and the majority of the information comes from the copper plate inscriptions and coins. This dynasty was started by a Sarabha, a feudal chief under the Guptas. Raipur, Bilaspur, and Kalahandi were major regions where this tribe ruled.

During the 6th to 8th centuries, the Shailodbhava dynasty ruled over various parts of Odisha including the Ganjam, Khordha, and Puri districts. Their capital territory was located at Kongoda due to which they were also known by the name of Kongoda Mandala. Madhavaraja II of this dynasty was considered to be very powerful and according to an inscription found at Khordha, the king was also known by the name of Sakala Kalingadhipati or the Lord of the entire Kalinga. However, there were no shreds of evidence that he was able to conquer the entire Kalinga region as one of his contemporaries, King Indravarman claimed to have conquered the entire region of Kalinga. There are speculations that Madhavaraja II performed Ashwamedha yajna and other sacrifices to assert his rule over Kalinga. Later on, he was succeeded by his son, Dharmaraja who was also quite powerful and ruled for the next 30 years. However, with time, the Shailodbhava dynasty fell into obscurity and became a part of Shvetaka Gangas, who were the vassals of Bhauma Karas.

Between the 8th and 10th centuries, the Bhauma Kara dynasty came into power after gaining control of the Shailodbhava dynasty. The earlier Bhauma Kara rulers ruled over the northern Toshali region and followed Buddhism, while the later rulers ruled over the southern Kongoda region and followed Shaivism and Vaishnavism. The coming of the Bhauma Karas in power has an entirely different story to it. Subhakara’s son, Shantikara married Tribhuvana Mahadevi, the daughter of Western Ganga king Rajamalla. However, Mahadevi’s father brought an end to the Rashtrakuta Pala’s domination and as a result, the Bhauma Kara dynasty almost came to a tumultuous end. But Mahadevi reunited the historically distinct regions such as Odra, Toshala, Kongoda, and Utkala.

When the Somavamshi dynasty came to power between the 9th and 12th centuries, their capitals included Yayatinagara and Abhinava Yayatinagara. Some of the early rulers of this dynasty ruled over western Odisha. Out of all the kings of this dynasty, the most powerful and influential ones were King Janamejaya and King Yayati I. King Janamejaya was also known by the name of Kosalendra or the Lord of Kosala. During his 34-year long reign, he issued various copper plate grants in the western and coastal Odisha. He was responsible for consolidating the Somavamshi rule and by the end of his reign, he had already extended his control over eastern Odisha.

Yayati I, too made a large number of grants in Dakshina Kosala like his father and all of these have been recorded on the inscriptions that were found at Yayatinagara. After Yayati conquered over Bhauma Kara dynasty, the Somavamshi dynasty was monikered as Abhinava-Yayatinagara. King Yayati is also credited with having initiated the Somavamshi style of temple architecture, which features new forms of ornamentation and iconography. Yayati also installed the image of Lord Jagannatha at Puri. The dynasty also started the Utkaliya era that corresponded to the reign of early Kesaris and this, in turn, led to the start of the Odia calendar.

Odisha was conquered by Rajendra Chola I of the Chola dynasty in the early 11th century. The capital was again shifted to Kataka by Anantavarman Chodaganga in 1135. In 1187, Nissanka Malla who ascended to the throne in Sri Lanka claimed to have descended from Kalinga. He may have been born in 1157 in the capital of Kalinga, Sinhapura.

In 1215, an invader from Kalinga, called Kalinga Magha landed in Sri Lanka and had an oppressive reign of 21 years. By the early 12th century, Kalinga had been conquered by Kulothunga Chola I and his general Karunakara Tondaiman. According to Tabaqat-i Nasiri, the ruler of Kalinga began harassing the ruler of Bengal. As a result, the governor of Bengal advanced to Kalinga to take revenge. The Kalinga and Bengal army encountered each other at Katashin fort and the Kalinga army had to face defeat. Later, when the army of Khan was having lunch, the Kalingan army flanked them and attacked. The defeated army of Khan then retreated.