Kalinga is a historical region of India. It is generally defined as the eastern coastal region between the Ganges and the Godavari rivers, although its boundaries have fluctuated with the territory of its rulers. The core territory of Kalinga now encompasses all of Odisha and some part of northern Andhra Pradesh. At its widest extent, the Kalinga region also included parts of present-day Chhattisgarh, extending up to Amarkantak in the west. In the ancient period it extended until the bank of the Ganges river.
Anangabhima Deva III was an Eastern Ganga monarch who ruled an early medieval Odisha-centered empire in eastern India from the year 1211 to 1238 CE. He maintained a large territory that stretched from the river Ganga in the north to Godavari in the south. He had 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 invaded Bengal in 1244 and captured the capital city, Gauda. He was a reformist in the social and spiritual structure of the Odia society as he declared Lord Jagannath as the supreme ruler of his empire and himself a servant (Rauta) under him. The Madala Panji chronicles depict him dedicating everything to lord Jagannath. He built the famous Pradaskhina mandapa of Srikurmam temple.
The Gajapati dynasty, also called the Suryavamsa dynasty or Routray dynasty, was a medieval Hindu dynasty in the Indian subcontinent, originally from the region of Trikalinga. At its peak, it ruled over an empire stretching from the Ganges in the north near Hoogly to the Kaveri in the south, comprising large parts of Andhra Pradesh and western regions of West Bengal. It succeeded the Eastern Gangas.
Western Odisha is the western part of the state of Odisha in India, extending from the Kalahandi district in the south to the Sundargarh district in the north.
The Eastern Ganga dynasty were a large medieval era Indian royal Hindu dynasty that reigned from Kalinga from as early as the 5th century to the mid 20th century. Eastern Gangas ruled much of the modern region of Odisha in three different phases by the passage of time, known as Early Eastern Gangas (493–1077), Imperial Eastern Gangas (1077–1436) and Khemundi Gangas (1436–1947). 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, as well as major parts of north Andhra Pradesh, parts of Chhattisgarh and some southern districts of West Bengal. Odia language got official status in their regime following the evolution of the language from Odra Prakrit. The early rulers of the dynasty ruled from Dantapuram; the capital was later moved to Kalinganagara, and ultimately to Kataka and then to Paralakhemundi.
Gajapati Langula Narasingha Deva I was an Eastern Ganga monarch and a warrior of the Kalinga region who reigned from 1238 CE to 1264 CE. 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 of Eastern India. 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 became the dominant ruler of the peninsula by defeating the Turko-Afgan, Gouda, and the powerful monarch of the south kakatiya Dynasty king Ganapati Deva, and was one of the most powerful Hindu rulers in India. He also built the Konark temple to commemorate his victories over the Muslims as well as other temples and the largest fort complex of Eastern India at Raibania in Balasore. He also built famous Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha Temple at Simhachalam, Andhra Pradesh. 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.
The Bhanja dynasty is a dynasty that originated in the northern and central regions of modern Odisha before the Gupta Empire became an imperial power. The dynasty, of ancient local Kshatriya lineage 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. The Bhanj later became feudatories of the Bhauma-Kara dynasty.
Vira Pratapa Purushottama Deva was the second Gajapati emperor of Odisha who ruled from 1467 to 1497 C.E. He was the second ruler from the Suryavamsa Gajapati Empire. His father Gajapati Kapilendra Deva Routaraya chose him as his heir to rule the Gajapati Empire at the banks of river Krishna where he breathed his last. This decision infuriated his elder brother Hamvira Deva who was a battle hardened and successful warrior fulfilling the task of conquering the southern territories and expeditions against the Vijayanagara Empire as wished by his father.
Prataparudra Deva was the third Gajapati emperor of Odisha from the Suryavamsa Gajapati Empire founded by his grandfather Kapilendra Deva. He reigned from 1497 to 1540 CE. Besides being a monarch, he was a devout Vaishnava and adherent of the famous saint, Sri Chaitanya who arrived in Odisha during his reign. His life was extremely occupied with overwhelming military campaigns in defense of his inherited territory from three frontal invasions by the enemy states Vijayanagar, Hussain Shahi dynasty of Bengal and Turko-Persian Qutb Shahi dynasty of Golconda. He lost large portions of his territory to the neighboring enemy states initiating the dissolution of Odisha's military hegemony and imperial status that continued for nearly a period of 600 years before him.
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.
Balarama Deva or Balaram Deo was the first Chauhan ruler of Sambalpur State and the tenth in line ruler of the Chauhan dynasty in the Western Odisha region during the sixteenth century. He was a powerful ruler and an excellent military strategist who ruled the hilly and forest tracts of western Odisha that was mostly inhabited by different tribal or aboriginal communities. After his ascension to the throne in the year 1570 CE, he secured the region from the neighboring Ratanpur's Haihayas and build a strong state surpassing the glory of his ancestral Chauhan state of Patna (Bolangir). Balarama Deva had also provided military assistance to the Gajapati king Ramachandra Deva of Khurda Kingdom and help to defend Khurda kingdom from the invading Muslim armies who either belonged to the Mughal Dynasty or the Golconda Sultanate. After consolidation of his authority over the regions of western Odisha and now parts of the state of Chattishgarh, Balarama Deva himself installed the idol of Goddess Samleswari as the head family deity which began the era of cultural rejuvenation in the region.
Jagannatha Gajapati Narayana Deo II was the Odia monarch of the Paralakhemundi Estate in the southern part of today's Odisha and northern Andhra Pradesh. He was from the Eastern Ganga dynasty of the Khemundi Ganga Branch from the year 1736 CE to 1771 CE. He had ascended to the throne at the age of eighteen and at a time when Odisha was torn apart due conflicts between external powers like the Mughals, Marathas, French and British for control of the territory. He invaded khurdha Bhoi dynasty king Birakishore Deva and Vizianagaram estate King Pusapati Vijayarama Raju II and defeated the both kings. He made the last great attempts on his own to revive the lost glory of Odisha and its unique Hindu culture that revolved around the tradition of Jagannath worship. He had defied the authority of the Nizam of Hyderabad and maintained his own sovereignty. He was one of the first rulers who indulged in conflicts with the new European colonists in the eastern part of India. He was also effort bound till the end of his life in framing strategic diplomatic plans to free the ancient land of Odisha from external aggressors and revival of its lost Eastern Ganga Dynasty-Gajapati glory from the past.
The Bhoi dynasty or the Yaduvamsa dynasty were a medieval Hindu dynasty from the Indian subcontinent, which originated in the region of Odisha that reigned from 1541 to 1560 CE. Govinda Vidyadhara had usurped the throne from the later weaker Suryavamsa Gajapati Empire rulers as the kingdom started weakening but had a short-lived reign as ruling chiefs of Odisha as the ensuing internal rivalries and constant threats of invasions rendered them weak and were eventually overthrown by Mukunda Deva of Chalukya Dynasty in 1560.
Govinda Vidyadhara was the founder of Bhoi Dynasty in Eastern India.
The Battle of Katasin was fought in 1243 CE between Narasingha Deva I of the Eastern Ganga dynasty and Tughral Tughan Khan, the Bengal governor of the Mamluk dynasty of Delhi, at Katasin. Narasingha Deva I delivered a crushing defeat to the Mamluk forces and subsequently went on to capture additional territory.
Gajapati is a regnal title from the region of modern Odisha in the Indian subcontinent. The word ‘Gajapati’ in Odia refers to "Gaja" meaning elephant and "Pati" meaning master or lord. Thus Gajapati etymologically means a lord with an army of elephants. The institution of Gajapati lordship as a title was used by the Eastern Ganga dynasty and was used by succeeding dynasties, as Gajapati dynasties, with the patronisation of Lord Jagannath as the deity of the Odia cultural realm. Four ruling dynasties have been part of Gajapati lordship or dynasties.
Hamvira Deva was an Odia prince of the Gajapati Empire in India and Gajapati ruler for a brief period. He was the eldest son of Kapilendra Deva, founder of the Gajapati Empire. He played a vital role in the military expansion of the Gajapati Empire but was bypassed in the succession order in favour of his younger half-brother Purushottama Deva.
The Gajapati invasion of Bidar in 1461 was a significant military expedition by Kapilendra Deva of the Gajapati Empire against the Bahmani Sultanate. This event unfolded in the aftermath of Humayun Shah Bahmani's demise and the subsequent ascent of Nizam Shah Bahmani to the throne. The primary objective of the campaign was to seize Bidar, the present-day region of Karnataka. Backed by Kakatiya chiefs, the Gajapati forces engaged in a decisive conflict with the Bahmani forces led by Muhibullah. The outcome saw the defeat of the Gajapatis, compelling the submission of Kapilendra.
The Bahmani invasion of Orissa refers to a series of historical events in the 15th century, marked by conflicts and diplomatic maneuvers between the Gajapati Empire and the Bahmani Sultanate. In 1475, a rebel officer of Bahmani named Bhimraj, revolted at Kondavidu, a Bahmani territory, prompting a complex alliance between Gajapatis and chiefs of Telangana and Jajnagar. Tensions escalated further in 1478 when Muhammad Shah III invaded Orissa, and Purushottama Dev, alarmed by the invasion, offered homage, disarming and presenting gifts. The Sultan accepted the homage, confirming Purushottam as the ruler of his patrimony.
