Katakarajavamshavali and Its Historical Authenticity

Abstract

The Katakarajavamshavali is a Sanskrit text, which has been edited by Hermann Kulke and Gaya Charan Tripathy. It is a comprehensive study on the history of Orissa from the early phase to the end of the Khurda Bhoi rule. It was compiled in the early part of the nineteenth century from older records available in the archives of the Jagannath temple, and/or with the functionaries like Tadhau Karana and Deula Karana who are responsible for keeping records of various nature connected with the Jagannath temple. Its contents are similar with that of Odradesha Rajavamshavali—another important text on the history of Orissa. The main emphasis of this article will be to review the opinion of the two learned editors on this traditional text and to evaluate the historical side of this account. The genealogical and the chronological aspects of this text need to be carefully studied to utilise it as an important source for the history of Orissa. In this article, I have taken into account the nature of Kala (Time Concept) as studied by Romila Thapar in her important papers on genealogy. Apart from an analysis of the Vamshavali pattern, here I would like to focus on the authenticity of this text as a genre of historical literature. My study would concentrate on the nature of construction of the past of Orissa on the basis of certain hard facts. This demands a look at the invention of traditional accounts in medieval Orissa for the compilation of the history of early and medieval Orissa.