Gajapati Empire
Gajapati Empire | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1434–1541 | |||||||||||||||
DELHI SULTANATE (LODIS) TIMURID EMPIRE (Babur) SHAH MIR SULTANATE PHAGMODRUPAS MALWA SULTANATE KALMAT AMARKOT SHEKHAWAT SIROHI TRIPWA SUGAUNAS VIJAYANAGARA EMPIRE GOLKONDA SULTANATE ◁ Location of the Gajapati Empire and neighbouring polities, circa 1500 CE. | |||||||||||||||
| Capital | Cuttack | ||||||||||||||
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| Religion | Hinduism | ||||||||||||||
| Government | Monarchy | ||||||||||||||
| Gajapati | |||||||||||||||
• 1434–67 | Kapilendra Deva | ||||||||||||||
• 1467–97 | Purushottama Deva | ||||||||||||||
• 1497–1540 | Prataprudra Deva | ||||||||||||||
• 1540–1541 | Kalua Deva | ||||||||||||||
• 1541 | Kakharua Deva | ||||||||||||||
| Historical era | Medieval India | ||||||||||||||
• Established | 1434 | ||||||||||||||
• Disestablished | 1541 | ||||||||||||||
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The Gajapati Empire, was an empire established by the Suryavamsa (IAST: Sūryavaṃśa, "Solar dynasty") dynasty or Routray dynasty, who were a medieval Hindu dynasty in the Indian subcontinent. It originated in the region of Trikalinga (most of the present-day Odisha and Northern Coastal Andhra) and reigned from 1434 to 1541 CE. It succeeded the reign of the Eastern Gangas. Under the Emperor Kapilendra Deva, the Gajapati empire stretched from lower Ganga in the north to Kaveri in the south.
The Gajapati dynasty was established by Emperor Kapilendra Deva (1434–66 CE) in 1434. During the reign of Kapilendra Deva, the borders of the empire expanded immensely; Gajapati Empire acquired large parts of Andhra Pradesh and western regions of West Bengal, it also included the eastern and central parts of Madhya Pradesh and Jharkhand. Purushottama Deva and Prataparudra Deva are two other significant emperors from this dynasty. The last emperor Kakharua Deva was killed by Govinda Vidyadhara in 1541, who founded the Bhoi dynasty.
The Gajapati Emperors patronized Vaishnavite Hinduism and were ardent devotees of the God Vishnu. They also commissioned many temples dedicated to the God Vishnu.