Forged Through Multiple Entities: Revisiting Urban Landscapes of Early Odisha

The walled cities of Odisha are often considered essential cores of its early ‘Urban’ phase, coupled with other historical forces, localities, and communities. So far, there have been very few attempts to deliver on the complexities of the early historic ‘Urban’ phase of Odisha from a regional perspective and not as a ‘mere import’ disseminating from the advanced urban developments of the Ganga plains. The present chapter has offered a critical understanding of material culture, landscape nodes and human roles associated with the early urban landscapes of Odisha, in two distinct geo-ecological ‘localities’, Western and Coastal Odisha. The chapter begins with outlining a  gradual transition of lifeways, from its Chalcolithic horizons into agricultural sedentism. It elaborates on  the flourishing internal and external specialization of urban traits in the population centres, including monumental architecture, residents, writing system, expressions of individuality, crafts specialization, currency, and most importantly, local and long-distance trade and exchanges. The chapter reassesses the impact of the Mauryan metropolitan culture and Kharavela’s authority. In conclusion, it emphasizes the importance of network strategies in the highly variable landscapes of Odisha which contributed to sustained urban development in different zones.