Bhubaneswar: Karnataka, the most preferred place among freshers as well as professionals from Odisha to achieve success in their respective fields, has close relationship with the state for ages, reveals eminent scientist Subhransu Mohapatra.

Through his book titled 'Beyond Obvious Odisha-Karnataka Relationship over the Ages', the Odisha-born scientist-turned-writer attempted to bring out the hidden facts and showed the historical and economic relationship between Odisha and Karnataka.

Speaking exclusively to Sambad English, Mohapatra said, "Odisha not only shares cultural values and history with Bengal and Andhra, but also with Karnataka. The present geography of Odisha was not the same as earlier. It was not from the Ganga to Godavari rivers. Rather, it was extended up to Krishna River and Rameswaram. Karnataka, which is situated in the southwest of country, also had close connection with Odisha. But we have forgotten that heritage."

Subhransu Mohapatra, an engineer by profession and a former DRDO scientist, found this relationship between two opposite states by extensive research during his over two-decade-long stay in Karnataka. Although, carrying out research and delving into scientific studies is quite normal for a scientist, documenting such a topic to unravel the hidden fact was a challenging task for him.

When asked about the turning point in his life that caused him to author a book on history, he said, "I have been residing in Karnataka for past 27 years. Hence, Karnataka is my 'karmbhoomi' (a land where one works). Neither I can leave that place nor can I forget my homeland Odisha. More than 10 lakh people from Odisha are working in different sectors in Karnataka. The situation remains same with them. This struck my mind and paved the way to do research on this topic during Covid-19 pandemic."

He bought some old books, surfed online for more information relating to Odisha-Karnataka historical and cultural connections.

"There are lots of things which will make us feel that we are related and we are not at different place. I found very close connections between two states and I thought it should be documented," he told the media.

Talking about the historical connection between Odisha and Karnataka, he said, "King Ashoka had conquered Odisha, formerly called Kalinga. But you will find many inscriptions and epigraph about it in Karnataka. The most powerful king of Kalinga, Samrat Kharavela, had conquered Karnataka. Even the Ganga dynasty of Odisha has Karnataka link. It is believed that Chola Gangdev, who had built the Jagannath Temple in Odisha, and King Langula Narasingha Dev, who had built the Konark Sun Temple, had belonged to Karnataka. As Ganga dynasty was also in Karnataka, there is a speculation that they were the siblings,"

"Furthermore, Gajapati Kapilendra Deb from Kalinga had conquered Karnataka. Ruler Krishnadevaraya from Karnataka had won Kalinga. Later, Purushottam Deb, the Puri Gajapati, married princess of Kanchi, which was a part of Karnataka," the author revealed stating that there are many ancient historical connections between the state that people are not aware of.

"Not only the political connection, but the states are literally connected in terms of economic, culture, religion and education," Mohapatra stressed.

Exploring the fact was not easy for the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) alumnus. To draw out conclusions and relationships between the states, Mohapatra studied history in detail - from the Mauryan dynasty to British era to post-independence period.

The book also speaks about the hidden aspect as to how Karnataka coast played a key role in trade between Kalinga and Roman empire. In the book, the writer highlighted the trade connection between the two states.

"The Sadhabas, the ancient mariners from the Kalinga region, were trading with the southeast Asian countries including Thailand, Myanmar, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore and Vietnam. We are celebrating that rich historical maritime today. But, we do not know that the Sadhabas were also trading with Roman empire in Africa. They were sailing via Karnataka in the Arabian sea," he said.

In the course of time, the economic relationship between Odisha and Karnataka has developed to a great level.

"Many people from Odisha are settled in Karnataka and have become successful there. People including Subrato Bagchi and Susmita Bagchi set up company generating employments for many. In the meantime, when the HAL was established at Sunabeda in Odisha, many people from Karnataka also came here for job. The experience and expertise of many Kannadigas in mining operation and mineral industries in Odisha can never be undermined. Similarly, legendary Narayan Murthy has established a branch of Infosys here in Odisha. Both Murthy and his wife Sudha Murthy have immense contribution here to the development of the state," he said.