NEW ASPECTS OF HISTORY AND CULTURE OF SOUTH KOSALA

The broad and variegated canvas of the ancient history of South Kosala is very interesting. The area comprising modem Chhattisgarh and Western Orissa has hoary antiquity. It was a passage of Aryan migration to the south and the cradle where highly interesting experiments in art and culture have taken place. It is but natural that for its rich cultural remains, scholars have been attracted to its heritage. Explorations carried at hundreds of sites on the Mahanadi and its tributaries, along with rock-painting sites, have thrown welcome light on the pre- and proto-history of South Kosala. Chance discoveries of inscriptions, coins, seals, sealings and manuscripts have helped in the reconstruction of the political and cultural history of the region. Also, researches undertaken by various agencies to study the art of South Kosala have highlighted its contribution to this region. These and other attempts have proved that tremendous scope of research exists towards reconstruction of the political and cultural history of this area, which once had an identity of its own.