A TO Z INDIA ● MARCH 2022 ● PAGE 12
Ancient India :
Kalinga war , 261 BCE
Raghavan
The Kalinga war is an ancient war that took place in the region of modern-day Odisha , eastern India . It is a war that changed the course of Indian history and is considered to be the bloodiest war ever fought on Indian soil . The war took place between Mauryan king Asoka ' s army and the kingdom of Kalinga , a small , independent and prosperous kingdom . The war is considered to be a very important event in Mauryan history because it ended the expansionist agenda of the then king Asoka . Mauryan ambition was to create an empire that spanned the whole of the ancient subcontinent , more than 5 million square km . in area - a single political entity representing the whole of ancient India .
Kalinga was the final major frontier ! Kalinga and Asoka went head to head in war when negotiations failed and king Asoka became blind in his territorial ambitions . In 261 BCE the end result was a massive tragedy . At the end of the war , the Mauryans won decisively , but lost the human cause . Over 70,000 Mauryans and 150,000 Kalinga warriors were injured or perished . Many more became refugees or died of exposure . Kalinga kingdom was plundered and destroyed .
The war changed Asoka forever , it made him fraught with guilt and sadness beyond comprehension . He stopped further military expansions . He soon adopted the principles of Ahimsa ( non-violence ) and the ideals of Lord Buddha and devoted the rest of his life to propagating Buddhism to faraway lands . This war not only helped create a politically united India for the first time , but it also opened up moral issues on war and conquest in the minds of ancient generals and kings .
It shows us that even powerful kings like Asoka can bow to their inner conscience . The ancient Kalinga war in India that happened 2,283 years ago , gives the modern world a lesson to learn - to question war and to condemn suffering caused by it ... when will we learn ?