Did you know about Mahameghavahana Kharavela?
We all know that Odisha was once called ‘Kalinga’ but most people are not aware about Aira Maharaja Mahameghavahana Kharavela was one of the greatest kings of ancient India.
He was the first great historical sovereign of ancient Kalinga who belonged to the soil and styled himself as Chetaraja-Vamsa Vardhana, and Kalingadhipati.
In history, it says that he owned many propitious signs on his body and was gifted with many qualities.
At the age of 15,Kharavela became the Yuvaraja, or Crown Prince,to understand the burden of royal responsibilities. By that time he was already skilled in five main subjects,namely,Lekha or Writing, Rupa or Coinage, Ganana or Arithmetic, Vyavahara or Law, and Vidhi or procedure.
Kharavela worked as the Crown Prince for nine years and later after completion of the 24 years of his life, he was crowned as the king of Kalinga. He then began his marvellous rule as the king belonging to the third generation of his royal dynasty.
He worked for the stability of his capital city Kalinganagari as the capital was earlier damaged by a severe storm that required repair and construction. In the first year, he repaired the gates, fortifications, and the structures of the fort of Kalinganagari.