Description

In ancient India, the majority of the nations (geographical units) were given names based on the stock of tribes that resided there or the state's ruler. In the Bhagavata Purana, it is written that the descendants of Ila-Sudyumna, Dirghatamas and Sudesna had six sons called ANAGA, VANGA, KALINGA, PUNDRA, SUMHA and ODRA. Their sixth son Odra, after whom the nation is allegedly named Odra, was in charge of the Orissa region. Traditions associated with the Mahabharata state that the Odras' territory shares space with those of Utkala, Mekala, Kalinga, and Andhra. In contrast, Manu includes the Odra people alongside the Pallavas, Kiratas, Chinas, and Khasas, among other groups. Yet, the location and size of the country are not mentioned in these claims.