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
Madanapalle set it to music in Madanapalle. The National Anthem was written by Rabindranath Tagore as early as in 1911 and was sung at the annual session of the Indian National Congress at Calcutta on 27 December that year. But it was actually done in Besant Theosophical College, Madanapalle, where Tagore stayed for few days in February 1919 that the now familiar tune was set. It was Margaret Cousins, wife of educationist, Dr. James Henry Cousins, who composed the tune for "Jana Gana Mana". Dr.J H Cousins was then the Principal of the Madanapalle College that was established by Dr. Annie