Gallery
Kichakeshwari Temple at Khiching
File:Kechakeshari temple, Khiching
Shri Hari Baladev Jiu Temple, Baripada
The Bhanja dynasty is a dynasty that originated in the Utkala region of modern Odisha before the Gupta Empire became an imperial power. The dynasty, of ancient local Kshatriya lineage [1] [2] as documented by Hermann Kulke, succeeded the Vindhyatabi branch of the Nagas of Padmavati, who ruled from the Keonjhar district of Odisha and included Satrubhanja of the Asanpat inscription. [3] [4] The Bhanj later became feudatories of the Bhauma-Kara dynasty. [5]
The successor branches of the Bhanja rulers became local feudatories to the united realms of the Eastern Ganga dynasty, the Gajapati Kingdom, and ruling dynasties of the princely states and zamindaries of the region with the advent of British rule. Prominent branches include the princely states of Mayurbhanj State and Keonjhar State.
The early Bhanjas emerged as leading chieftains succeeding the Nagas of the Vindhyatabi rulers in Kendujhar and the Western Odisha region, inheriting the land that consisted of the preceding Naga ruler Satrubhanja's domains. With the supremacy of Bhauma-Kara dynasty rule in the Utkal region, they ruled as their feudatories which consisted of mandalas. [6] [7] [8]
According to early mandala inscriptions, the Bhanjas describe their origins from the mythical peahen likely pointing out to the early peafowl-related traditions of the ancient Bhanja clans, which is observed on their emblems that are shared by the successive branches. [9] [10] Khinjali and Khijjinga mandalas were among the prominent mandalas under Bhauma-Kara rule. [11]
The Khinjili mandala comprised areas of modern-day Boudh, Phulbani, Nayagarh, Ghumusar, and Sonepur. Its capital was Dhritipura (modern Boudh). [12] Nettabhanja, who ruled over the Dhenkanal-Anugul region and made Nava-angulakapatana his capital, was regarded by R. D. Banerji and R. C. Majumdar as the earliest Bhanja king of the Khinjali mandala line. The early Bhanjas were powerful feudatory rulers of independent sovereign principalities in early medieval Odisha, and the territory was passed to the Somavanshis after Ranabhanja, then his son Netribhanja established a new territory named after Khinjali. Copper plate inscriptions of Yasobhanja and his brother Jayabhanja at Antirigam and Kanakabhanja show Bhanja rule continued in the Khijali region until the 12th century CE. [10]
During the early 10th century CE, with political instabilities in the Bhauma-Kara kingdom, the neighboring Somavamshi and Bhanja dynasties attempted to conquer the region. The Bhanjas of Khinjali married two of their princesses (Vakula Mahadevi and Dharma Mahadevi) to the Bhauma-Kara kings Shubhakaradeva V and his father Shantikaradeva III, and later controlled the Bhauma-Kara kingdom through them. The Bhauma-Kara territory eventually came under the control of the dominant Somavamshis. [13]
Khijjinga, or Khijjinga-Kotta, comprised areas of modern-day Mayurbhanj and Kendujhar. Inscriptions refer to them as the founders of the Adi-Bhanja dynasty. The early history of Bhanja rule at Khijjinga is described in copper plate inscriptions found at Bamanghaty near Rairangpur and the Khandadeuli inscription of Ranabhanja. The founder of the dynasty was Virabahdra Adi Bhanja, with his capital located at Khijjinga Kota (now Khiching). The Kichakeshwari Temple was also built by Rajabanja, according to inscriptions. [14] [10]
Two princesses of the Khinjali Bhanjas, Vakula Mahadevi and Dharma Mahadevi, married the Bhauma-Kara kings Shubhakaradeva V and his father Shantikaradeva III, and later became the regnal monarchs of the Bhauma-Kara kingdom. [13]
The influence of the Khijjinga Bhanjas declined after the dominance of the Somavamshis in the Utkal region, but centuries later came back to prominence in the region with the rise of the Eastern Ganga dynasty after uniting the three realms of Trikalinga with the Bhanjas as their feudatories. Traditions point to numerous origins of the dynasty, but a lack of records renders them unlikely although it is generally accepted that the founder, Adi Bhanja of the 8th century CE established the dynasty of the Mayurbhanj state with his brother Jyoti Bhanja founding the Keonjhar State succeeding from the Khijjinga Adi Bhanja dynasty. [15]
According to traditions, Keonjhar State was founded sometime during the 12th century during the rule of the Eastern Ganga dynasty when Jyoti Bhanj was enthroned as the raja of Keonjhar with the help of dominant local Bhuyan clans. The influence of Bhuyans on the enthronement rituals and regnal traditions of Keonjhar suggests a long-standing relationship with the kingdom. [16]
With the advent of Eastern Ganga rule over the region after the defeat of the Somavamshis, there were local chieftains ruling over Baudh as Eastern Ganga feudatories. There was a Brahmin chieftain who was childless that adopted the nephew of the neighboring raja of Keonjhar who belonged to the Bhanj dynasty. The prince named himself Ananga Deva and became the king of Baudh in the 14th century. [17] [18] [19]
In the late 15th century around 1498 CE, Naren Bhanja, the brother of the raja of Baudh, was made chieftain of the Daspalla region, from which he later seceded and declared his independent kingdom. [20]
The Bastar state was long ruled by the descendants of the Kakatiya dynasty until the 1920s, when King Rudra Pratap Deo's daughter and heir Rani Prafulla Kumari Devi married Prince Prafulla Chandra Bhanj Deo, who was the nephew of the King of Mayurbhanj Sriram Chandra Bhanj Deo. Their son Pravir Chandra Bhanj Deo became the first and only Bhanja ruler of Bastar from 1936 until 1948 when it acceded to India following independence.
The Kanika Bhanja branch was established by Bhujabal Bhanja most likely around the third century. It remained a prominent zamindari during the reigns of the Trikalingapati and Gajapati monarchs and also supported the Khurda rulers against the British after they took over Orissa from the Maratha Empire in 1803. After independence in 1947, it was merged into Odisha, following which the zamindari estates were abolished. [21] [22]
The Haladia estate was an ancient vassal state of the Gajapati Empire that was ruled on their behalf by the Bhanj monarchs. They are a branch of Mayurbhanj State who swore allegiance to the Gajapati Maharaja of Puri. It was founded by Anu Bhanj Deo, a scion of the Mayurbhanj Raj family who came to Puri around the 11th century CE, married the daughter of the then-Gajapati Maharaja of Puri, and obtained the estate as her dowry. [23] During British rule, Garh Haladia was one of the Khandayat jagirs in Khordha. [24]
The rulers of Ghumusar zamindari were descendants of the Bhanja rulers of Khinjali mandala whose rule ended in the Boudh region as the Somavanshis conquered their territory during their conflicts with the Bhauma-Kara rulers during the 10th century CE [25] and were displaced into the Ghumusar region post-12th century where they set up their kingdom. They established their capital at Kullad (a place near Bhanjanagar). Ghumusar Bhanja rulers significantly contributed to the development of Odia literature during the Riti Yuga/Bhanja Yuga phase like Balabhadra Bhanja, Tribikram Bhanja, Dhanajaya Bhanja,Ghana Bhanja and Kabi Samrat Upendra Bhanja. [26]
The Ghumusar branch ended during the rule of Dhananjaya Bhanja II in 1835, when the British annexed the Ghumusar region after suppressing the Ghumusar rebellion of 1835–36. [27] [28]
Kalinga, is a historical region of India. It is generally defined as the eastern coastal region between the Mahanadi and the Godavari rivers, although its boundaries have fluctuated with the territory of its rulers. The core territory of Kalinga now encompasses a large part of Odisha and northerneastern part of Andhra Pradesh. At its widest extent, the Kalinga region also included parts of present-day southwestern West Bengal and Chhattisgarh.
Mayurbhanj district is one of the 30 districts in Odisha state in eastern India. It is the largest district of Odisha by area. Its headquarters are at Baripada. Other major towns are Rairangpur, Karanjia and Udala. As of 2011, it is the third-most-populous district of Odisha, after Ganjam and Cuttack.
Boudh District is an administrative and a municipal district, one of the thirty in the Odisha, India. The district headquarters of the Boudh District is the city of Boudh.
Kendujhar District, also known as Keonjhar District is an administrative district of Odisha. The district is one of the fifth Scheduled Areas of Odisha. The town of Kendujhar is the district headquarters. The district has 3 Sub-Divisions, Anandapur, Champua, and Keonjhar.
Human history in Odisha begins in the Lower Paleolithic era, as Acheulian tools dating to the period have been discovered in various places in the region. The early history of Odisha can be traced back to the mentions found in ancient texts like the Mahabharata, Maha Govinda Sutta and some Puranas.The region was also known to other kingdoms in region of East Indies due to maritime trade relations.
The Eastern Ganga dynasty also known as Rudhi Gangas or Prachya Gangas were a large medieval era Indian royal dynasty that reigned from Kalinga from as early as the 5th century to the early 15th century. They are known as "Eastern Gangas" to distinguish them from the Western Gangas who ruled over Karnataka. The territory ruled by the dynasty consisted of the whole of the modern-day Indian state of Odisha, some parts of West Bengal, as well as major parts of Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. The early rulers of the dynasty ruled from Dantapuram; the capital was later moved to Kalinganagara, and ultimately to Kataka . Today, they are most remembered as the builders of the world renowned Puri Jagannath Temple and Konark Sun Temple, a UNESCO World Heritage Site at Konark, Odisha.
Dandabhukti was an ancient and medieval region located amidst the two rivers, Dwarakeswar and Subarnarekha. It was situated within the Rarh region, a part of the Gupta Empire. It spanned an area that now comprises Bankura, Hooghly, Paschim Medinipur, and Purba Medinipur districts in the Indian state of West Bengal.
Sonepur, is the district headquarters of Subarnapur district of Odisha, has a special place on the political and cultural map of India since the pre-historic period. It is bounded on the north by Sambalpur district, on the south and the South-East by Boudh district, on the east by Rairakhol sub-division of Sambalpur district and on the west by the ex-state Patna.
Baudh State, also known as Boudh State, was one of the princely states of India during the period of the British Raj. It was recognized as a state in 1874 and had its capital in Boudh town. Its last ruler signed the accession to the Indian Union on 1 January 1948.
Daspalla State (Odia: ଦଶପଲ୍ଲା was one of the princely states of India during the period of the British Raj. Its capital was Kunjabangarh, located in present-day Nayagarh district, Odisha.
Mayurbhanj State was one of the princely states of India during the period of the British Raj. It was one of the largest states of the Eastern States Agency and one of the three states of the Bengal States Agency. The emblem of the state were two peacocks for according to legend the ancestors of the ancient rulers originated from a peafowl's eyes.
Keonjhar State, also known as Keunjhar, was one of the princely states of India during the period of the British Raj. The second largest of the states of the Orissa States Agency, it was located in present-day Kendujhar district, Odisha.
Satrubhanja was a warrior and emperor who belonged to the Vindhyatabi branch of Nagavanshi rulers that ruled from Keonjhar district of Odisha in the early 4th century A.D. The era of Satrubhanja belongs to the pre Gupta rise as an imperial power in India when the other ruling Bharasiva Nagas of India joined hands to overthrow the ruling Devaputras of Pataliputra, also otherwise known as Kushan rulers to the modern historians. The Asanapat village dancing Nataraja Shiva inscription in Sanskrit Language with Post Brahmi or early Kalinga script of Satrubhanja provides a great deal of details about his achievements as a conqueror and spiritual man. The inscription is of thirteen lines which is written partly in verse and partly in prose.
The Shailodbhava dynasty ruled parts of eastern India during the 6th-8th centuries. Their core territory was known as Kongoda-mandala, and included parts of the present-day Ganjam, Khordha and Puri districts in the Odisha state. Their capital was located at Kongoda, which is identified with modern Banapur.
The Bhauma dynasty, also known as Kara dynasty, ruled in eastern India between 8th and 10th centuries. Their kingdom, called Toshala, included parts of present-day Odisha.
The Somavamshi or Keshari dynasty ruled parts of present-day Odisha in eastern India between the 9th and the 12th centuries. Their capitals included Yayatinagara and Abhinava-Yayatinagara.
Maharaja Sivakara Deva I or Sivakara Unmattasimha/Unamattakeshari was a powerful monarch of the Bhaumakara Dynasty who ruled in the late tertiary part of the 8th century A.D. He was the descendant of Ksemankara Deva who is believed to be the founder of the Bhaumakara rule in ancient Odra and also the earliest organizer of the Varna system in the region. Sivakara Deva I pursued a career of conquest in the eastern part of India establishing the Bhaumakaras as the supreme power in the whole region during his lifetime. He conquered the kingdom of Radha(Rarh) and subjugated the Eastern Ganga rulers of Kalinga as his vassals. He was a devout Buddhist who in 790 built the Sholampura Buddha Vihara and who adopted the epithets of Paramopasaka and Paramatathgata meaning a devout worshiper of Buddha which has been mentioned in the Neulpur charter of the Bhaumakaras. He sent a Buddhist scholar as an emissary to the Chinese emperor Te-tsong or Dezong with valuable Mahayana Buddhist manuscripts and established a new era of maritime trade and cultural relationship between ancient Odisha and China.
Tribhuvana Mahadevi II also known as Prithivi Mahadevi, was the queen regnant of the Indian Bhauma-Kara dynasty's Kingdom of Toshala in Kalinga in 890-896 AD.
Dharma Mahadevi, was the queen regnant of the Indian Bhauma-Kara dynasty's Kingdom of Toshala in circa 940-950.
the Bhanja families of Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, Baudh, Ghumsur and Kanika are linked with the ancient Bhanjas who had ruled in several branches over parts of northern Orissa, the central Mahanadi valley and southern Orissa since the late centuries of the first millennium AD.
