Chapter Overview

Long before Ratanpur, Raipur or the Marathas, the land we now call Chhattisgarh (छत्तीसगढ़) was Dakshin Kosala (दक्षिण कोसल), “southern Kosala”. Hunters painted animals on the sandstone shelters of Raigarh. A painter named Devadinna left his name in a cave at Ramgarh. A minister gave away a thousand cows beside a pool at Gunji. And a king called Mahendra of Kosala was captured and then released by Samudragupta. This chapter follows that story from the Stone Age to about the 5th century CE. It is the opening chapter of Chhattisgarh history, and Prelims P-I Part 2 almost always draws on it.

What You’ll Learn

By the end of this chapter, you’ll be able to:

Name the main prehistoric and rock-art sites of the state, especially the Raigarh cluster (Singhanpur, Kabra Pahad, Ongna, Karmagarh), and the megalithic burials of Karkabhat
Explain why the region was called Dakshin Kosala and list the places that tradition links to the Ramayana and Mahabharata
State what the Jogimara and Sitabenga caves, the Gunji rock inscription, the Kirari wooden pillar and the finds at Malhar tell us about the Mauryan and Satavahana periods
Describe Samudragupta’s southern campaign from the Allahabad Pillar (Prayag Prashasti) and its two Chhattisgarh-linked kings, Mahendra of Kosala and Vyaghraraja of Mahakantara
Write a Mains answer on the sources for the early history of Chhattisgarh, and separate firm evidence from tradition

Prerequisites

Magadha and the Mauryas: Ashoka, the Kalinga war and Mauryan administration in general
Guptas and Vakatakas: Gupta polity and the age of Samudragupta at the all-India level
Physical Geography of Chhattisgarh: where the Mahanadi plain, the Raigarh hills and the Bastar plateau lie

Learning Path

Follow these topics in order:

graph TD
    A["1. Prehistoric sites and rock art"] --> B["2. Dakshin Kosala in literature and epics"]
    B --> C["3. Mauryan and Satavahana period"]
    C --> D["4. Gupta period and Samudragupta's campaign"]
    D --> E["Quick Revision"]
    D --> F["Next chapter: Regional dynasties"]

Topics in This Chapter

#	Topic	What it covers	Read time
1	Prehistoric Sites and Rock Art	Stone Age phases, Raigarh rock shelters (Singhanpur, Kabra Pahad), Chitwa Dongri, megaliths of Karkabhat	12 min
2	Dakshin Kosala in Literature and Epics	The name Dakshin Kosala, Kaushalya and Chandkhuri, Dandakaranya, Ram Van Gaman Path, Mahabharata, Hiuen Tsang	12 min
3	Mauryan and Satavahana Period	Jogimara and Sitabenga caves, Gunji rock inscription, Kirari wooden pillar, Malhar	13 min
4	Gupta Period and Samudragupta’s Southern Campaign	Prayag Prashasti, Mahendra of Kosala, Vyaghraraja of Mahakantara, forest kingdoms, Gupta-era local dynasties	12 min
—	Quick Revision	Every site, inscription and name of this chapter on one page	4 min

Where It Is Asked

Exam Focus

Prelims P-I (Chhattisgarh part): one-liners and match-the-following on sites and districts (Singhanpur and Kabra Pahad in Raigarh, Jogimara in Surguja, Karkabhat in Balod, Malhar in Bilaspur). Expect questions on which inscription is wooden (Kirari), which names a king (Gunji), and which two kings of Samudragupta’s list belong to this region.
Mains P-III GS-I: “Sources of the ancient history of Chhattisgarh”, “Dakshin Kosala in literature”, “Chhattisgarh in Samudragupta’s southern campaign”. Answers score when they separate archaeological and epigraphic evidence from epic tradition.
Interview: a candidate from Surguja, Raigarh or Bilaspur can be asked about the heritage of their own district.

Quick Reference

Fact	Detail
Ancient name	Dakshin Kosala (southern Kosala), also called Mahakosala
Main rock-art cluster	Raigarh district: Singhanpur, Kabra Pahad, Ongna, Karmagarh, Ushakothi, Basnajhar, Botalda
First painted shelters reported	1910, by Anderson (Singhanpur); survey by Amarnath Dutt, 1923–27
Megalithic site	Karkabhat (Balod): 800+ burials, menhirs, iron weapons, 1st millennium BCE
Ramayana link	Chandkhuri (Raipur): Kaushalya Mata temple; Dandakaranya (Bastar); Shivrinarayan (Shabari); Turturiya (Valmiki ashram)
Oldest cave inscription and paintings	Jogimara cave, Ramgarh hills (Surguja): Brahmi script, Magadhi Prakrit, c. 3rd–1st century BCE
“Oldest theatre” claim	Sitabenga cave, Ramgarh (claim disputed)
Earliest inscription naming a king	Gunji rock inscription (Damau Dahra, near Sakti): king Kumaravaradatta
Wooden inscription	Kirari pillar, found 1921 in the Hirabandh tank; Brahmi, about 2nd century CE
Satavahana evidence	Malhar (Bilaspur): silver coin of Vashishthiputra Pulumavi, seals, brick structures
First epigraphic mention of Kosala	Allahabad Pillar (Prayag Prashasti) of Samudragupta, composed by Harishena
Kings of this region in Samudragupta’s list	Mahendra of Kosala; Vyaghraraja of Mahakantara

Start Learning

Ready to begin? Start with the first topic:

→ Prehistoric Sites and Rock Art