Kapilendra Deva

During the mid 15th century, when the entire Gangetic belt from Delhi to Bengal was under the rule of the Muslim rulers, there were kingdoms that resisted with all their might against the Sultanate. Vijayanagara Empire down South, Rana Kumbha of Mewar in the North, and then we had Kapilendra Deva, the founder of the Suryavamsa Gajapati dynasty, that came to power in Odisha following the decline of the Eastern Gangas. He ascended the throne on June 29, 1435 overthrowing the last ruler of the Eastern Gangas Bhanu Deva IV. Also referred to as Kapilendra Routray, he claimed descent from the Surya Vamsha.

There are many theories about his origin, as per the Madala Punji(chronicle) of Puri Jagannatha Temple, his real name was Kapila Rauta, and used to graze cattle along with a Brahmin named Kasla. It’s believed that once Kasla saw the divine symbol of a cobra sheltering him while he was resting in the sun, and predicted he would be ruler one day. He later fought in the army of the Eastern Ganga rulers against Muslim invasions from Bengal, and won the appreciation of Bhanu Deva.

As per the Raghudevapuram copper plate grant, by his nephew Raghudeva Narendra, the governor of Rajamahendravaram, Kapilendra’s grandfather Kapileswara Nayaka served in the Eastern Gangas army as a lieutnant. He had a son Jageswara who possesed a large number of elephants and Kapilendra was his second son, along with Balarama and and Parashurama Harichandana. 

As the Eastern Ganga dynasty began to weaken in it’s final days, losing vast territory, Kapilendra Deva staged a coup, while the last ruler Bhanu Deva IV was on a military expedition down South. He was delcared as the monarch in June 1435, at a grand ceremony in Bhubaneshwar and took the title of Gajapati that translated to “King with an army of elephants”. Actually this title was first used by Eastern Gangas, and was later used by succeeding dynasties.

Kapilendra Deva built up one of the most formidable armies ever, as per the Muslim text Buhan-m-Mansi, he had an elephant force of 200,000 the largest ever during that period. The Odia poet Sarala Das, who lived during his reign, has an excellent description of his army. It wad made up of the following divisions.

Hantakaru Dala– This division was right at the forefront, responsible for scouting, making paths for the marching army, clearing jungles.

Aguani Thata – This division marched ahead of the main army.

Pradhana Vala– The main division of the army.

Pachhiani Thata – The rear guard of the army.

Angavala – Special bodyguards of the military generals and the king.

Paridhana – This division was the one that looked over the conquered forts.

Sarala Das also mentions about musical instruments used as a marching band, and some of the names of the weapons like Dhanu, Sara, Asi, Parigha, Pattisa, Kunta, Jathi, Buruja. As also the methods of breaking walls of forts with the help of elephants.

On ascending the throne, Kapilendra first had to deal with the internal revolts of some of the vassal rulers like Matsarvamshi of Oddadi, Shilavamshis of Nandapur, and Bishnukundina of Panchadhara who refused to accept his authority.At the same time the Sultanate of Jaunpur too was attacking, seeing the turbulent situation. Kapilendra appointed his able minister Gopinath Mahapatra to deal with Jaunpur invasions, while he suppressed all the internal revolts ruthlessly by 1440.

He know had to deal with the declining military hegemony of Kalinga, during the last years of the Eastern Gangas, when they had lost a whole lot of territory. The Sultan of Jaunpur, Mahmud Shah, the young ruler of Bengal, Samsuddin Ahmad Shah were preparing to invade Odisha along with the Bahmani Sultans. Coastal Andhra had come under the rule of Vijayanagara Empire as well as the Reddy Rajulu of Rajamahendravaram, who had advanced all the way up to Simhachalam.

The Muslim invasions from Bengal were repelled back by his able minister Gopinath Mahapatra, as the Gajapati army conquered territories in Bengal to the west of Ganga which included the fort of Gar Mandaran. The region east of the Ganga, until Bardhaman, was also captured, and he placed his aide  Jalesara Narendra Mahapatra in charge. His victories in Bengal earned him the title of Gaudeswara.

He tried to conquer Rajamahendravaram first in 1444, but the simultaneous attack by Jaunpur, diverted his army, and Malappa the able general of Vijayanagara ruler Deva Raya II, was able to repel the Gajapatis back. However the passing away of Deva Raya II, saw a much weaker Mallikarjuna Raya ascend the throne, and the political alliance between Vijayanagara and the Reddy Rajulu too was broken. The Reddy Rajulu were first defeated and by 1454, Kondavidu was captured, Ganadeva a vassal was made the ruler, while Prince Hamvira Deva was made Governor of southern territories.

Meanwhile the Velama rulers of Devarakonda in Telangana, who were initially cordial with the Bahmani Sultan Alau’d-din Ahmad Shah, turned against them. The Bahmanis invaded Telangana, and wrecked havoc under their commander Sanjar Khan. Humayun Shah ascended the throne in 1456 and his general Sikander Khan, suppressed the rebel Velama chieftains after occupying Devarakonda. The Velama chieftains requested Kapilendra to rescue them from the Bahmanis and in 1458, Hamvira Deva, routed the Bahmanis at Devarakonda, as the Velamas now became vassals of the Gajapatis. The victory over the Bahmanis, enabled Kapilendra Deva to assume the title of Kalavargeśvara , Lord of Kalburgi.

In 1461, Kapilendra Deva led a campaign against Nizam Shah Bahmani, whose main objective was to capture Berar, backed by Kakatiya chieftains and local Zamindars of Telangana. The 10,000 strong Gajapati army, was however defeated by a 160 cavalry unit of the Bahmanis under Muhibullah near Bidar, forcing them to retreat.

The weak emperor of Vijayangara, Mallikarjuna Raya was defeated by Hamvira Deva and forced to pay tribute. Hamvira’s general Tamavupala conquered Udayagiri and Chandragiri in 1460, and the Gajapatis advanced as far as Trichy, Thanjavur. Hamvira’s son  Kapileswara Kumara was made the Governor of the southern territory in 1464.

Kapilendra Gajapati was now the undisputed master of an empire that stretched from the Ganga in Bengal to Trichy down South, and covered the entire East Coast, as well as Telangana, all the way up to Bidar. And he assumed the imperial title of Gajapati Gauḍeśvara Navakoṭi Karṇāṭa Kalavargeśvara that duly justified his status.

He organized the empire into two administrative divisions of  Dandapata and Rajya, the core regions of Odisha, Bengal came under his direct control and were called as Dandapata which were under a Governor(pariksa) or controlled by feudatory Samanta Rajas. While the Southern part of the empire were divided into Rajyas ruled by a Governor.

Inspite of all the battles and campaigns he fought in, Kapilendra Deva, patronized arts, culture and scholars. During his time, the Puri Jagannath Temple became a cultural hub, and the classical dance Odissi flourished under his reign. He himself was a writer of repute, wrote the Sanskrit play Parshuram Bijaya. Though a devout Vaishnava, he got the Kapileswara Temple built during his reign, on the outskirts of Bhubaneshwar. Also Odia became the official language, and the great poet Sarala Das, translated the Mahabharat into Odiya during his reign. He promoted many learned poets and writers like Visvanatha Kaviraja author of Sanskrit works Sahitya Darpana and Chandrakala Natika, while another writer Narsingha Mishra Vajapeyi wrote Samksepasariraka vartika and Kalidasa Chayani wrote Suddhichandrika.

He considered himself a servant of Jagannatha, and that reflects in his regional title Routray, meaning servant of the Lord, and contributed a lot to Puri. The Narendra Tank at Puri, was built during his time, in honor of his brother Veer Narendra Deva, who died while fighting the Muslim invasions. And 14 ghats in the tank were named after his nephews, all of whom took part in the military campaigns. He also initiated the Chandan Yatra at Puri Jagannatha Temple during his reign, and he built two concentric stone walls around the temple as a defensive measure. The outer wall known as Meghanada Prachira which was around 665’ x 644’ with height varying from 20’ to 24’, while the inner wall was known as Kurma Prachira measuring  400’ x 278’. He himself donated a large amount of gold, jewellrey and utensils to the temple.

He also donated a lot of wealth to the Brahmins, ordered the abolition of Chaukidari tax paid by them. He ordered his officials to follow Dharma, else they would have to face the consequences. The great ruler passed away in 1467, but not before choosing his youngest son Purushottama Deva, as the heir, which resulted in a revolt by the elder son Hamvira Deva. Though Hamvira ascended the throne, in 1476 Purushottama recaptured it.

Kapilendra Deva would take his place among the greatest Hindu rulers of all time,a great warrior, who expanded the empire all over the East Coast, down to the South. A patron of arts, culture, himself a writer, built temples, made Puri the cultural hub of Odisha, and a wise administrator.