Utkala Kingdom Utkala Kingdom Utkala Kingdom was located in the northern and eastern portion of the modern-day Indian state of Odisha and also included the districts of Bankura, Purulia and Midnapore districts of West Bengal. This kingdom was mentioned in the epic Mahabharata, with the names "Utkala", "Utpala", and "Okkal". It is mentioned in India's national anthem, Jana Gana Mana. The early medieval literature says in Sanskrit "उत्कृष्ट कलायाः देशः यः सः उत्कलः " Meaning the land having excellent opulence of artists and art is called Utkala(Kala=Art, Utkrishta=Excellent);land of Utkrishta=Excellent-Kala=Art. The Dasarnas, the Mekalas (a kingdom to the west of Utkala) and
Jana Gana Mana Sarala Devi Chowdhurani, Tagore’s niece, along with a group of school students, in front of prominent Congress Members like Bishan Narayan Dhar, Indian National Congress President and Ambika Charan Majumdar. In 1912, the song was published under the title "Bharat Bhagya Bidhata" in the Tatwabodhini Patrika, which was the official publication of the Brahmo Samaj and of which Tagore was the Editor. Outside of Calcutta, the song was first sung by the bard himself at a session in Besant Theosophical College in Madanapalle, Andhra Pradesh on 28 February 1919 when Tagore visited the college and sung the song. The song