Invisible India- Politics- Earliest Democracy!

Democracy is an ancient concept at least as far as Indian history is concerned dating back to the time possibly as old as Mahabharata. Though the Entire Indian subcontinent is said to have ruled by regional kings from the time of Ramayana, There is one state called Klinga Kingdom in today’s Indian territory whose history goes back to days as old as Mahabharata at least was said to have ruled by different officers!

Democracy

In General when we refer to democracy the definition goes as ” Its the government by the people, of the people and for the people. Conventional knowledge states that Democratic ideals made it into social and political systems of the world only in late 18th century. Democracy is all about measuring the will of the majority of the public to construe the political authority and Majority rule is coupled with assurance of individual human rights to protect the rights of minority irrespective of ethnicity, religion or race irrespective of majority vote.

Oldest Democracy

On the contrary to above mentioned conventional knowledge, Ideals of democracy made into political systems long before 18th century. although the claim is said to have made that ancient Greeks are the first one to have democracy in the history of earth it can outrightly be overruled as Kalinga Kingdom which is central eastern state of India and existed from the time of Mahabharata that is around 4000 BCE was said to have been republic state since then. Reference of Kalinga state is made several number of times in Mahabharata where it states that different regions within the territory of Kalinga which constitutes of current day Orissa state and northern part of Andhra Pradesh and some parts of Bihar, west Bengal and Bangladesh, was ruled by different officers or different Kings who shared common army.

However while Ancients Greek democratic innovation and application is widely announced around the time of 200BCE it is clear that only a sect of men were allowed to vote. Women, slaves, metrics were not allowed to vote on the contrary to definition of Democracy. Unlike this in the latest reported state of Kalinga around 320 BCE was a feudal republic state, which king Bindusara tried to acquire and had repulsed.

Thats right Kalinga war though turned Emperor Ashoka into a devotee of non violence before that it was a war on Democracy and the early part of Ashoka’s rule was blood thirsty. The Kalinga war war was fought between Mauryan emperor Ashoka the great and the feudal republic state Kalinga Kingdom.

Little Background on Kalinga Kingdom and Mauryan Empire:

Kalinga was a state of sovereignty and democracy, with its monarchical-parliamentary democracy. which was not only unusual but also very unique in the territories of ancient India and there was a practice followed called “Raj Dharma”, the duty of the rulers, which means concept of bravery and “Kshatriya dharma.” The Kalinga Kingdom apart from being a state of Democratic ideals, is said to have had formidable maritime Empire with international trading routes to Vietnam, Borneo, Java, Sumatra, Thailand, Burma Sri Lanka and more. In current time Indians are said to have recognized as Kalingas in Malaysia because of the Kalingan trade relationship with that country Malaysia of those glorious days. Number of Srilankan Kings of both the ethnicitis, Sinhalese and Tamil claim to have decented from Kalinga Dynasties.

While Kalingas prided itself on its Magadhan Emperor, Ashoka was a succeeder to father Bindusar’s throne who inturn was succeeder of after Chandragupta Mourya who had built a Magadh Empire extending up to Gandhar in North West, forcing and driving out Greek armies backward. The immediate and ambitious agenda of Ashok’s after ascending onto throne was to strengthen Magadh further by carrying forward his grand father and father’s legacy. His first military venture was to bring down the independent status of prosperous Kalinga and destroy its flourishing maritime trade supremacy in order to achieve and augment Magadhan access in to the overseas commercial advantage.

Kalinga war- War on Democracy

Ashoka was said to have sent a Royal message to Kalinga’s royalty to submit before his supremacy. Upon hearing the denial to this diktat, Ashoka was said to have sent one of his generals to Kalinga to make them understand and agree to surrender to avoid Mayhem.

The general and his forces were, nevertheless were said to have completely routed through the skilled tactics of Kalinga’s commander-in-chief. Ashoka, baffled by this defeat, was said to have attacked with the greatest invasion ever recorded in Indian history until then. Kalinga put up a stiff resistance, being no matchto Ashoka’s powerful armies, superior weapons and experienced generals and soldiers, they are remembered only as brave warriors. and the whole of Kalinga was plundered and was immersed in the blood.

Ashoka the Great is said to have melted and said to have taken refuge in Buddhism, then toddler religion of India, after witnessing the aftermath of the war with hundreds of thousands of corpses of men women and children.

Point Today:

However as always, In the Indian history only the greatness of Emperor Ashoka and his latter refuge in Buddhism to spread the religion and the peace was accounted. The fact that the Indian state was a sovereign democratic state was neglected and almost forgotten. It is widely believed that Republic of India is a largest democracy of the world with its government pattern influenced by British Parliamentary. Very few of us know that, the concept of Democracy was no doubt was planted by British Ideas, but the concept was neither new nor was unheard of for Native Indians. It was in practice long before the concept was even heard in European premises.

Note: Coming up with more invisible stuffs to make them visible: