In 262 BCE, the Battle of Kalinga was fought between the Mauryans under Ashoka against the Kalingans under Raja Anantha Padmanabhan during the Kalinga War.
Why did it happen?
The Mauryan Empire was founded in 321 BCE by Chandragupta Maurya, who based his military ambitions on that of Alexander the Great, who had invaded India in 326 BCE. By the time of the accession of the third Mauryan emperor, Ashoka, in 270 BCE, the Mauryan Empire controlled all but the southern tip of India, with territories extending into southern Iran. The only state that was not under Mauryan control was the kingdom of Kalinga on the east coast of the Indian subcontinent. In 262 BCE, Ashoka called upon the king of Kalinga, Raja Anantha Padmanabhan, to acknowledge Mauryan overlordship. When he refused, Ashoka sent an army to enforce his authority, only for it to be routed by the Kalingan army. Enraged at this unexpected setback, Ashoka gathered the largest army he could muster for a second invasion. After devastating the surrounding countryside, the Mauryan army faced the Kalingan army beside the Daya River, where the decisive battle of the war was fought.
Who was involved?
The Mauryan army at Kalinga numbered 200,000 infantry, 10,000 cavalry, and 3,000 war elephants. While Mauryan infantry primarily acted as archers and swordsmen, the cavalry was armed with javelins and rode bareback as light horsemen. In addition, Mauryan war elephants carried five crew: a driver called a mahout and four archers on the elephant’s back. As stated by Saul David, “The elephant’s main military use, however, was less as a weapons platform than as a weapon in itself; it was used to trample enemy infantry and gore them with its tusks” (David, 2009, p.55). The Kalingan army at Kalinga numbered 60,000 infantry, 1,000 cavalry, and 700 war elephants.
What happened?
Although details about the course of the battle are scarce, one possible scenario was presented in the 2001 film Asoka. In the film, the battle began with Kalingan archers firing upon the Mauryan infantry and cavalry as they charged, blunting their advance’s impact. After brief fighting, the Kalingan army conducted a feigned retreat towards Dhauli Hill, drawing the Mauryan army into pursuit. At Dhauli Hill, the Kalingan army turned around to engage the Mauryans, with the Kalingan war elephants charging the Mauryan army, trampling their infantry, and scaring off their cavalry. With both sides engaged, Ashoka led a cavalry charge against the Kalingan right flank, inflicting heavy losses on the Kalingan army. Finally, having been pushed back against the Daya River, the Kalingan army was surrounded, with many opting to fight to the death rather than surrender. While the Mauryans suffered 10,000 casualties, the Kalingan army was virtually annihilated.
What changed as a result?
The Battle of Kalinga was a decisive Mauryan victory. According to Ashoka’s inscriptions, 100,000 Kalingans were killed during the war, with 150,000 more deported. In the aftermath of the battle itself, it is reported that the Daya River turned red with blood and the battlefield “was covered with the corpses of soldiers, wounded soldiers groaned in severe pain, vultures hovered over their dead bodies, orphaned children mourning the loss of their nears and dears, widows looked blank and despaired” (Gandikota, 2017). When a woman came up to Ashoka stating that her husband, father, and son had been killed during the battle and that she had nothing to live for, Ashoka experienced a change of heart. He renounced warfare and converted to Buddhism, erecting religious monuments, irrigation schemes and hospitals to care for people and animals across the empire. After Ashoka died in 234 BCE, the Mauryan Empire declined until the last Mauryan emperor, Brithadratha, was overthrown in a military coup in 185 BCE. It would not be until the rise of the Mughal Empire in the sixteenth century CE that so much of India was united under one ruler.
Bibliography
David, Saul. War: The Definitive Visual History. New York, Dorling Kindersley, 2009.
Gandikota, Mr. “The Battle of Kalinga (Kalinga War) - 262 BC.” Indian Contents. Last revised January 17, 2017. www.indiancontents.com/2017/01/Battle-of-kalinga-war-.html
Grant, R.G. Battle: A Visual Journey Through 5,000 Years of Combat. London, Dorling Kindersley, 2005.
Megasthenes. Indika. Translated by J.W. McCrindle. Calcutta, Thacker & Spink, 1877.
Sivan, Santosh. Asoka. India, Arclightz & Films, 2001. DVD.