Gajapati is a regnal title from the region of modern

Odisha Odisha (English: , ), formerly Orissa ( the official name until 2011), is an Indian state located in Eastern India. It is the 8th largest state by area, and the 11th largest by population. The state has the third largest population of ...

in the Indian subcontinent. The word ‘Gajapati’ in

Odia Odia, also spelled Oriya or Odiya, may refer to: * Odia people in Odisha, India * Odia language, an Indian language, belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European language family * Odia alphabet, a writing system used for the Odia languag ...

refers to "Gaja" meaning elephant and "Pati" meaning ''master'' or ''husband''. Thus Gajapati etymologically means ''a king with an army of elephants''. The institution of Gajapati kingship as a title was used by the

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 ...

and was used by succeeding dynasties, with the patronisation of Lord Jagannatha as the imperial deity of the Odia cultural realm. The current titular Gajapati belongs to the head of the

Bhoi dynasty The Bhoi dynasty or the Yaduvamsa (IAST: Yaduvaṃśa) 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 fr ...

, as the dynasty inherited the legacy of the historical ruling chiefs of Odisha invested in the title of ''Gajapati''. They also exercised administrative control of the

Jagannath Temple The Jagannath Temple is an important Hindu temple dedicated to Jagannath, a form of Vishnu - one of the trinity of supreme divinity in Hinduism. Puri is in the state of Odisha, on the eastern coast of India. The present temple was rebuilt f ...

at Puri.

History

The ruling chiefs of Kalinga, Utkal, 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 Gangas as the unification of the Odia kingdoms eventually culminated under

Anantavarman Chodaganga Gangesvara Anantavarman Chodaganga Deva () was an Eastern Ganga monarch who reigned between 1077 CE to 1150 CE. He was the ruler of the Kalinga region from river Ganga to Godavari, and later the early medieval Odisha region with the incorporati ...

Narasingha Deva I Gajapati Langula Narasingha Deva I was an Odia Emperor of Eastern Ganga Dynasty, and a warrior of the early medieval Odisha region who reigned from 1238 CE to 1264 CE. He defeated the Muslim forces of Bengal who constantly threatened the Easter ...

was the first king from the Eastern Ganga dynasty to use the title of ''Gajapati'' among the Odishan kings in the 1246 CE inscription at the

Kapilash Temple Kapilash Temple, also known as Mahadev Chandrashekhar Temple is situated in the north eastern part of Dhenkanal town, Odisha, India at a distance of 26 km from the district headquarters. Location and architecture The temple is situated at ...

Modern ceremonial titles

The ceremonial regnal title of the Gajapati Maharaja is as follows: ''Shree Shree Shree Veerashree Gajapati Goudeswar Nabakotikarnatatkala Kalabaragesvara Viradhiviravar Bhuta Vairaba Sadhu Sasnotirna Routraja Atula Balaparakrama Sahasra Bahu Kshetriyakula Dhumaketu Maharaja Adhiraja (regnal name)''

Customary title of Gajapati upon accession

The cyclical order the names of the Gajapati Maharaja: *Ramchandra Deva *Birakeshari Deva *Divyasingha Deva *Mukunda Deva

Customary title of the queens of Gajapati upon accession

*Chandramani Patamahadei *Suryamani Patamahadei *Leelavati Patamahadei *Padmabati Patamahadei

List of Gajapatis of the ruling dynasties

References

{{Odia culture Titles in India Titles of national or ethnic leadership Royal titles Men's social titles Dynasties of Odisha History of Odisha Indian nobility