Kalyani Gajapati or Kalyani Devi
is the current head of the
Parlakhemundi Ganga dynasty. She became the first woman to head the Ganga dynasty of Paralakhemundi.
Life
Kalyani Gajapati spent her early years away from Paralakhemundi as she pursued her education in
Bangalore
Bangalore (), officially Bengaluru (), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan population of around , making it the third most populous city and fifth most ...
and
Chennai
Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...
visited the palace occasionally.
Kalyani Gajapati was crowned at age 50 on 10 January 2020, after her father
Gopinath Gajapati Narayan Deo died in
Bhubaneswar
Bhubaneswar (; ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Odisha. The region, especially the old town, was historically often depicted as ''Ekamra Kshetra'' (area (''kshetra'') adorned with mango trees (''ekamra'')). Bhubaneswar is ...
. She is the 17th head of the dynasty. A
puja was performed at Ramaswami temple near the palace. Kalyani was taken in a procession to the ''Darbar Hall'' or her court, where she sat on the throne in the attire of a princess. After coronation, Kalyani issued her first order: the funeral and cremation of her father.
Kalyani Gajapati joined the political party BJD (
Biju Janata Dal
The Biju Janata Dal (; BJD) is a regional political party in the Indian state of Odisha founded and led by Naveen Patnaik, the current Chief Minister of Odisha and the son of former Chief Minister of Odisha Biju Patnaik, after whom the party i ...
) in February 2019.
See also
*
Parlakhemundi Ganga dynasty
*
Gopinath Gajapati Narayan Deo
*
Gajapati Palace
*
Eastern ganga dynasty
The Eastern Ganga dynasty also known as Purba Gangas, 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 mid 20th century. Eastern Gangas ruled much of ...
References
Living people
People from Paralakhemundi
21st-century women rulers
21st-century Indian women politicians
Year of birth missing (living people)
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