Kalinga is an early state in central-eastern India, which comprises most of the modern state of Orissa, as well as the Andhra region of the bordering state of Andhra Pradesh.

It is a rich and fertile land that extends from the river Damodar/Ganges to Godavari and from Bay of Bengal to Amarkantak range in the West.

The region is the scene of the bloody Kalinga War fought by the Maurya Emperor Ashoka the Great of Magadha c. 265 BCE.