The Odia (ଓଡ଼ିଆ), formerly spelled Oriya, are native to the Indian state of Odisha and have the Odia language as their mother tongue. They constitute a majority in the eastern coastal state of Odisha, with significant minority populations in Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and West Bengal.
Ananta Vasudeva Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Krishna, an avatar of Lord Vishnu located in Bhubaneswar, the state capital of Odisha, India. The temple was constructed in the thirteenth century, and the complete murtis of Krishna, Balarama and Subhadra are worshipped there. Balarama stands under a seven hooded serpent, Subhadra holds Jewels pot and lotus in her two hands keeping her left foot over another jewel pot, while Krishna holds a mace, chakra, lotus and a conch. The temple dates back to the period of Chandrika Devi, the daughter of Anangabhima III, during the reign of the king Bhanudeva. A commemorative inscription that marked the foundation of the temple can be found in the British Museum's collection.
Hajo is a historic town set in the hills northwest of Guwahati, Assam, India. The different hills of Hajo are a pilgrimage site for regional Hindus, Buddhists, and Muslims. To the Hindus, the Manikut Parbat of Hajo is the site of the 10th-century temple ruins and the 11th- to 16th-century temples complex for Vaishnavism as well as shrines of Shaivism and Shaktism. To the Buddhists, particularly from Bhutan and Tibet, Assam is where the Buddha died and the Hyagriva temple in Hajo is a part of the sacred geography of the Buddha. To the regional Muslims, the Mughal era Poa-Mecca shrine on another hill of Hajo has the tomb of Giyasuddin Aulia built in the 17th-century.
Anangabhima Deva III was a powerful Odia ruler and reformist of the Eastern Ganga Dynasty that ruled an early medieval Odisha centered empire in eastern India from the year 1211-1238 A.D. He was successful in maintaining a large extent of territory that stretched from the river Ganga in the north to Godavari in the South. He had successfully defeated the Kalachuris on the western frontiers of the empire and established a matrimonial alliance with them. His brother or brother in law, Rajaraja II became the ruler of the Dynasty in 1198. When Anangabhima III came into power, in 1211, he expelled the Muslims of Bengal from his kingdom. He had a son, Narasingha Deva I, who would later invade Bengal in 1244, and captured the capital city, Gauda. He was a reformist in the social and spiritual structure of the Odia society as the vaishnavite deity Jagannath was declared as the supreme ruler of the empire and the emperor as the deputy under him. The Madala Panji records he claiming himself as Shri Purushottama dedicating everything to lord Jagannath.
The Gajapati Empire was a Royal dynasty established by the Suryavamsa or Routray dynasty, who were a medieval Hindu dynasty from the Indian subcontinent, which originated in the region of Odradesha from 1434 to 1541 CE. Under Kapilendra Deva, Gajapatis became an empire stretching from the lower Ganga in the north to the Kaveri in the south.
Madugula is a village in Visakhapatnam district in the state of Andhra Pradesh in India. It was also known as Vaddadi or Vaddadimadugula and was founded by the rulers of the Matsya dynasty. Later, it merged into the kingdom of Nandapur - Jeypore and during the British Raj it remained an independent Zamindari for sometime. Later, in 1915 the zamindaris of Madugula and Pachipenta were purchased by Maharaja Vikram Dev III and they became a part of Jeypore Samasthanam until 1947.
Thiruvallur Veeraraghava Swamy Temple is a temple dedicated to Hindu god Vishnu, located in Thiruvallur, Chennai Metropolitan City, an area and headquarters in Tiruvallur district in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Constructed in Dravidian style of architecture, the temple is glorified in the Divya Prabandha, the early medieval Tamil canon of the Azhwar saints from the 6th–9th centuries CE. It is counted as one among the 108 Divya Desams dedicated to Vishnu. Vishnu is worshipped as Veeraraghava Perumal and his consort Lakshmi as Kanakavalli Thayar.
Barabati Fort is a 13th-century fort built by the rulers of the Eastern Ganga dynasty in Cuttack, Odisha, India. The ruins of the fort remain with its moat, gate, and the earthen mound of the nine-storied palace, which evokes the memories of past days. Today it sits next to the modern Barabati Stadium, the venue of various sport events and cultural programs. There is also a temple dedicated to Katak Chandi, the presiding deity of the city, not far away from the fort. Now there are plans to develop the old Gadakhai into a world class tourist destination with boating facilities and a world class park. The renovation work of the Gadakhai is going on in full swing.
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. The territory ruled by the dynasty consisted of the whole of the modern-day Indian state of Odisha as well as major parts of West Bengal, 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.
Kartika Purnima is a Hindu, Sikh and Jain cultural festival, celebrated on the Purnima day or the fifteenth lunar day of Kartik (November–December). It is also known as Tripuri Purnima and Tripurari Purnima. It is sometimes called Deva-Diwali or Deva-Deepawali, the festival of lights of the gods. Karthika Deepam is a related festival celebrated in South India and Sri Lanka on a different date.
'Langula' Narasingha Deva I was a powerful monarch and warrior of the Eastern Ganga Dynasty of early medieval Odisha who reigned c. 1238–1264. He defeated the Muslim forces of Bengal who constantly threatened the Eastern Ganga dynasty's rule over his kingdom of Kalinga from the times of his father Anangabhima Deva III. He was the first king from Kalinga and one of the few rulers in India who took the offensive against the Islamic expansion over India by Turko-Afghan invaders. His father had successfully defended his kingdom against the Turko-Afghan rulers of Bengal and crossed into Rarh, Gauda and Varendra in Bengal chasing the invaders on backfoot. He also built the Konark temple to commemorate his victories over the Muslims besides multiple temples as architectural marvels along with the largest fort complex of Eastern India at Raibania in Balasore,. The Kendupatana plates of his grandson Narasingha Deva II mention that Sitadevi, the queen of Narasingha Deva I was the daughter of the Paramara king of Malwa.
Madhava Temple,, is the temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu. It is located at the Madhab village of Niali block in Cuttack district, Odisha.
Singhanath Temple is dedicated to Shiva who is worshipped by Narasimha, an avatar of Vishnu. The temple has a rekha deula and terraced roof jagamohana of traditional phase of temple style of Kalingan order. The temple is unique for its sculptural embellishment of both the Saivaite and Vaishnava sects. It is located in the Gopinathpur village, Baramba tehsil of Cuttack district. It can be easily approached by road from Cuttack, Chaudwar and Athgarh.
Kapilendra Deva was the founder of the Suryavamsa Gajapati Empire that ruled parts of eastern and southern India, including present-day Odisha as the center of his empire. He had staged a military coup against the preceding and the last Eastern Ganga dynasty ruler Bhanu Deva IV and overtook the throne as the king was weak and had lost territories to the south. His name is also written as Kapilendra Routray or Sri Sri Kapilendra Deva. In claiming descent from the Surya Vamsha of the Mahabharata, he also took the title shri shri ...(108 times) Gajapati Gaudeshwara NabaKoti Karnata Kalabargeswara. This title literally meant the lord of Bengal (Gauda), of Karnataka region or Vijayanagara, the lord of Gulbarga and of nine crore subjects.
Gangesvara Anantavarman Chodaganga Deva was a ruler of the Eastern Ganga dynasty which ruled the southern part of Kalinga, India. He was the son of Rajaraja Deva and Rajasundari, the daughter of emperor Virarajendra Chola. The Chola king Kulothunga Chola I of the Chola dynasty was his uncle. However, historian S.N. Sen states that Anantavarman was the maternal grandson of Kulottunga I. The Jagannath Temple at Puri was rebuilt in the 11th century atop its ruins by Anantavarman Chodaganga.
Raibania fort is a group of ancient forts in Baleswar district, Odisha India. This fort complex is considered as the biggest medieval fort of eastern India. It was built during the reign of Eastern Ganga ruler Narasingha Deva I. There are 161 fort goddesses which are as "Durga devata" or "Iṣṫa devata" and Daṣasharu which is an aniconic form of the goddess Jayacaṇḍi. Although three forts were recorded in the Ain-i-Akbari, four forts have been found here: two of the larger ones are closer to the village Raibania, and the other two are closer to the village Phulta (Phulahatta). According to The Balasore Gazetteer, the forts were devastated after the Kalapahada invaded Utkala. Post-invasion remnants of the forts except Raibania have been utilized for construction by the local Zamindars and villagers of the locality.
Nanjundeswarar Temple is a temple dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva in Karamadai, a village in Coimbatore district in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu, It is located 96 km from Erode. Constructed in the Dravidian style of architecture, the temple is believed to have been built during the 16th century. In this temple, Shiva is worshipped as Nanjundeswarar and his consort Parvathi as Ulaganayagi.
The Kalachuris of Ratnapura were a central Indian dynasty during 11th and 12th centuries. They ruled parts of present-day Chhattisgarh from their capital at Ratnapura. They were an offshoot of the Kalachuris of Tripuri, and ruled as vassals of the parent dynasty for many years.
The Kurmanathaswamy temple, also known as the Kurmanatha temple or Srikurmam temple, is a Hindu temple dedicated to Kurma – the second avatar of Vishnu. It is located in Srikurmam village, Srikakulam district in Andhra Pradesh, India. Built in the 11th-century in the Eastern Chalukyan style, this Dravida architecture temple was expanded in later centuries, and it is dedicated to Vishnu as Kurmanathaswamy and his consort Lakshmi as Kurmanayaki.
Ramai Deva or Ramai Deo was a Rajput ruler who founded the Chauhan Dynasty rule in the erstwhile Patna state in today’s Bolangir district of Odisha in the year 1360 A.D. At the young age of twenty he staged a coup with the popular support of the commoners and overtook the Astha Mullicks or the eight regional Gauntias ruling as independent warlords in oligarchy after the Eastern Ganga administrator of the region died. The central control of the Gangas had nearly collapsed due to outside invasions. As an energetic and remarkable leader, he established his firm control of the erstwhile Patna state Odisha that might have included some parts of Chatishgarh as well.
