Gajapati (title)

The ruling lords of Kalinga, Utkala and Dakshina Kosala used various regnal titles upon coronation or conquest of regions, chiefly being the titles of Kalingadhipati and Tri-Kalingadhipati. Anantavarman Vajrahasta V assumed the titles as Trikalingadhipati (lord of the three Kalingas) and Sakalakalingadhipati (lord of complete Kalinga) challenging the authority of the Somavanshis and eventually laying the foundations for the Eastern Ganga dynasty as the unification of the Odia kingdoms eventually culminated under Anantavarman Chodaganga.

Narasingha Deva I was the first ruler from the Eastern Ganga dynasty to use the title of Gajapati among the Odishan rulers in the 1246 CE inscription at the Kapilash Temple.^[5][6]

Anangabhima Deva III laid the foundations of the Gajapati institution and establishment of Lord Jagannath as the patron deity of the realm. His son Narasingha Deva I was the first ruler from the Eastern Ganga dynasty to use the title of Gajapati among the Odishan rulers in the 1246 CE inscription at the Kapilash Temple.^[7][8] The Gajapati monarchs were devout worshipper of Lord Jagannath and patronized the Vaishnavite Hinduism with the Jagannath temple at Puri becoming the major religious hub of the Gajapati rule.^[9]

The Gajapati dynasty refers to the ruling dynasty from the region of modern Odisha in the Indian subcontinent, whose monarch carries the regnal title of Gajapati. The institution of Gajapati dynasty or lordship was founded by the monarchs of the Eastern Ganga dynasty and was used by the succeeding dynasties. A major religious function included the patronisation of Lord Jagannath as the deity of the Odia cultural realm.^[1]

Till date, four ruling dynasties from the region of Odisha have presided over the institution of Gajapati dynasty. The current titular Gajapati belongs to the head of the Bhoi dynasty, which the dynasty had inherited the legacy of the historical ruling lords of Odisha invested in the title of Gajapati.^[10][3] They also exercised administrative control of the Jagannath Temple at Puri.^[4]

The ceremonial regnal title of the Gajapati Maharaja is as follows:^[11]

Shree Shree Shree Veerashree Gajapati Goudeswar Nabakotikarnata Kalabaragesvara Viradhiviravar Bhuta Vairaba Sadhu Sasnotirna Routraja Atula Balaparakrama Sahasra Bahu Kshetriya kula Dhumaketu Maharaja Adhiraja (regnal name)