The Bhoi dynasty or the Yaduvamsa (

IAST The International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration (IAST) is a transliteration scheme that allows the lossless romanisation of Indic scripts as employed by Sanskrit and related Indic languages. It is based on a scheme that emerged during ...

: Yaduvaṃśa) dynasty were a

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the Post-classical, post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with t ...

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

dynasty from the

Indian subcontinent The Indian subcontinent is a list of the physiographic regions of the world, physiographical region in United Nations geoscheme for Asia#Southern Asia, Southern Asia. It is situated on the Indian Plate, projecting southwards into the Indian O ...

, which originated in the region of

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 ...

that reigned from 1541 to 1560 CE.

Govinda Vidyadhara Govinda Vidyadhara was the founder of Bhoi Dynasty in Eastern India. He worked as a writer or accountant under Prataprudra Deva. According to historian N. Patnaik, Govinda Vidyadhara was a Khandayat Khandayat or Khandait is a landed militia cas ...

had usurped the throne from the later weaker Suryavamsa

Gajapati Empire The Gajapati Empire or the Suryavamsa (IAST: Sūryavaṃśa, "Solar dynasty") dynasty was a medieval dynasty from the Indian subcontinent, it originated in the region of Trikalinga (most of the present-day Odisha and North coastal Andhra) an ...

rulers as the kingdom started weakening but had a short-lived reign as ruling chiefs of Odisha as the ensuing internal rivalries and constant threats of invasions rendered them weak and were eventually overthrown by

Mukunda Deva Mukunda Deva or Mukunda Harichandana (1559-1568 A.D) was the founder of "Chalukya dynasty" in ancient Orissa (now Odisha). He traced his descent from the Eastern Chalukyas of Vengi. He was the sole monarch of his dynasty and the last independent ...

of Chalukya dynasty in 1560. Under Ramachandra Deva I, the dynasty shifted its capital to

Khurda Khordha is a town and a municipality area in Khordha district in the Indian state of Odisha. Bhubaneswar, is the capital of Odisha located within the Khordha district and is only 25 km from Khordha town. Odisha State Highway 1 and Nationa ...

lost his throne in 1568 to the

Sultans of Bengal The Sultanate of Bengal ( Middle Bengali: শাহী বাঙ্গালা ''Shahī Baṅgala'', Classical Persian: ''Saltanat-e-Bangālah'') was an empire based in Bengal for much of the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries. It was the dominan ...

who eventually lost to the

Mughal Empire The Mughal Empire was an early-modern empire that controlled much of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries. Quote: "Although the first two Timurid emperors and many of their noblemen were recent migrants to the subcontinent, the d ...

in 1576. During that period, the Bhoi dynasty and the feudatory Garhjat states of Odisha became autonomous states in their own right and came under the Mughal imperial authority till 1717. Later they became vassals of the

Maratha Empire The Maratha Empire, also referred to as the Maratha Confederacy, was an early modern Indian confederation that came to dominate much of the Indian subcontinent in the 18th century. Maratha rule formally began in 1674 with the coronation of Shi ...

who conquered Odisha by 1741 and were later defeated by the

British East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and Southea ...

in 1803. The kingdom was eventually annexed to the

British Empire The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts esta ...

after the King led a failed rebellion against the British in 1804 but later reinstated at Puri in 1809. Later, the British granted him the management 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 ...

which the nominal heads of the dynasty retained to this day. In other words, the Bhoi dynasty still has the administrative control over one of the holiest shrines in

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Indian religion or '' dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global p ...

, which is the Jagannath Temple at Puri.

Etymology

"Bhoi" title was granted to accountants of the

Karan Karan may refer to: People * Karan (given name), an Indian given name * Karan (caste), an Indian caste * Karan Kayastha, a community of Kayastha in Bihar, India * Karan (surname) Places * Karan, Iran (disambiguation), a name for various vi ...

caste.

History

As Gajapatis of Odisha

With the death of

Prataparudra Deva Prataparudra Deva (Odia: ଗଜପତି ପ୍ରତାପରୁଦ୍ର ଦେବ) was the third Gajapati emperor of Odisha from the Suryavamsa Gajapati Empire started by his grandfather Kapilendra Deva Routaraya. He ruled from the year 149 ...

of the Suryavamsa

in 1540 and a succession of weak rulers lead to the rise of political instability in the kingdom as there was a rise in internal squabbles, economic decline and increasing threats of invasions from both south and northern parts of the subcontinent. In the political chaos, the Gajapati Empire started weakening as Prataprudra Deva's successors were unable to maintain political authority. Taking de facto control of the situation, the general and minister of the kingdom, Govinda Vidyadhara decided to take the opportunity by murdering the successors of the Gajapati king and usurped the throne of

Cuttack Cuttack (, or officially Kataka ) in Odia is the former capital and the second largest city in the Indian state of Odisha. It is the headquarters of the Cuttack district. The name of the city is an anglicised form of ''Kataka'' which literall ...

, thus laying the foundation of the Bhoi dynasty. Under his reign, the kingdom was still undergoing political upheaval as there were rebellions in different provinces and conflicts with the neighbouring

Qutb Shahi The Qutb Shahi dynasty also called as Golconda Sultanate (Persian: ''Qutb Shāhiyān'' or ''Sultanat-e Golkonde'') was a Persianate Shia Islam dynasty of Turkoman origin that ruled the sultanate of Golkonda in southern India. After the coll ...

rulers of the

Golconda Sultanate The Qutb Shahi dynasty also called as Golconda Sultanate (Persian: ''Qutb Shāhiyān'' or ''Sultanat-e Golkonde'') was a Persianate Shia Islam dynasty of Turkoman origin that ruled the sultanate of Golkonda in southern India. After the coll ...

. His 7 year reign came to an end in 1548 and was succeeded by his son Chakrapratapa whose 8 year reign came to an end when he was killed by his son Narasimha Ray Jena in 1557. Around the same time, the influence of Mukunda Deva Harichandan of the Chalukya dynasty began to grow at the court. He assassinated Narasimha Ray Jena and placed the King's younger brother, Raghuram Ray Chotaraya on the throne, making him his puppet ruler while also simultaneously fending off the influence of his rival, Janardhan Danai Vidyadhara,general and minister of Govinda Vidyadhara.The short-lived nearly two decade old reign of Bhoi dynasty as the ruling Kings of Odisha finally came to an end when Mukunda Deva assassinated Raghuram Ray Chotaraya and crowned himself in 1560.

Restoration and establishing the Khurda kingdom

With the defeat of the Chalukya king Mukunda Deva at Cuttack in 1568 at the hands of the

who subsequently lost to the

Mughals The Mughal Empire was an early-modern empire that controlled much of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries. Quote: "Although the first two Timurid emperors and many of their noblemen were recent migrants to the subcontinent, the d ...

in 1576, the fragmentation of territories of former Odra kingdom was well underway as the territories and the Barabati fort at Cuttack came under Mughal imperial control while the native feudatory Kings had become autonomous and vassals to the imperial rule. Meanwhile the surviving scion of the Bhoi dynasty led by the son of Danai Vidyadhara, Ramachandra Rautraya Mahapatra who took the regnal title as Ramachandra Deva I restored Bhoi rule by shifting the power centre by establishing the Khurda kingdom with their capital at

. The extent of the kingdom ranged from Mahanadi river in the north to Khimidi in the South, while ranging from Khandapara-Daspalla in the west to the coasts of

Puri Puri () is a coastal city and a Nagar Palika, municipality in the state of Odisha in eastern India. It is the district headquarters of Puri district and is situated on the Bay of Bengal, south of the state capital of Bhubaneswar. It is als ...

in the east. He also retained control of the Jagannath Temple at Puri. The temple's status as the residing place of Lord

Jagannath Jagannath ( or, ଜଗନ୍ନାଥ, lit=Lord of the Universe, Jagannātha; formerly en, Juggernaut) is a deity worshipped in regional Hindu traditions in India and Bangladesh as part of a triad along with his brother Balabhadra, and sister ...

, the patron deity of Odia people, enabled Ramachandra Dev and the Bhoi dynasty to continue the nominal status and legacy of retaining the regnal titles of the historical ruling Kings of Odisha. Hence the Bhoi dynasty lays the foundation and legitimation of a political institution through the possession of a sacred temple-city thus deriving its legitimacy from an older imperial tradition. Under Ramachandra Deva I, the patronage and pilgrimage of Jagannath temple at Puri resumed as he assumed its administrative control. He also constructed the

Sakshigopal Temple Sakhigopal Temple formally known as Satyabadi Gopinatha Temple is a medieval temple dedicated to Lord Gopinatha located in the town of Sakhigopal on the Puri Bhubaneshwar highway in Odisha. The temple is built in the Kalinga Architecture style. ...

at Sakhigopal near Puri. He also patronised Odia literature and arts as stability returned during his reign in the region following a spate of invasions. His successors continued to rule the kingdom as autonomous vassals to the Mughal Empire while fending off influence of the Mughal governor at Cuttack and continuing patronage of arts, culture and literature. This period coincides with the Riti Yuga, which is an important phase in Odia literature considering the evolution of language from middle Odia of Sarala and Panchasakhas Yuga to modern Odia.

Independence from Mughal Empire

Towards the late 17th and early 18th century, with the weakening of the Mughal Empire after its conflicts with the Marathas in the

Mughal–Maratha Wars The Mughal–Maratha Wars, sometimes referred to as a whole as the Deccan War, the Maratha War of Independence, or the Twenty-Seven Years' War were a set of wars fought between the Mughal Empire and the Maratha Empire from 1680 until the death ...

, the Mughal imperial authority over Odisha region started weakening as a result. King Divyasingha Deva I managed to defeat the Subahdar of the Mughal Governor of Bengal in 1707 thereby reducing their influence over the kingdom which eventually became independent of the Mughal sovereign authority by 1717 under his successor Harekrushna Deva. By then the feudatory Garhjat states had also become independent due to crumbling of the centralised rule, thus leaving only the Northern coast from

to Subarnarekha river under the control of the

Nawab of Bengal The Nawab of Bengal ( bn, বাংলার নবাব) was the hereditary ruler of Bengal Subah in Mughal India. In the early 18th-century, the Nawab of Bengal was the ''de facto'' independent ruler of the three regions of Bengal, Bihar, ...

, thereby ending Islamic rule over most of the regions of Odisha. The Bhois also maintained minor maritime and international trade links, albeit much reduced from the heydays of 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

. This is noted from the Manchu language memorials and edicts depicting contacts under the reign of

Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speak ...

in China, when the

Qianlong Emperor The Qianlong Emperor (25 September 17117 February 1799), also known by his temple name Emperor Gaozong of Qing, born Hongli, was the fifth Emperor of the Qing dynasty and the fourth Qing emperor to rule over China proper, reigning from 1735 t ...

received a gift from the Brahmin (Ch. Polomen 婆羅門, Ma. Bolomen) envoy of a ruler whose Manchu name was Birakišora han of Utg’ali (Ch. Wutegali bilaqishila han 烏特噶里畢拉奇碩拉汗), who is described as a ruler in Eastern India. Hence referring to Birakisore Deva I of Khurda (1736–1793) who styled himself as Gajapati, the ruler of Utkala. Many of the

gosains Gosains, (गोसाईं) who are also known as Gossains and as Goswami, are Hindu ascetics of India. The term can be translated as ''master of passion''. They are sometimes referred to more generally as Sannyasis. The Gosains were powerful ...

entering Tibet from China passed through his territory when visiting the Jagannath temple at Puri.

Under Maratha Empire

The

under the

Peshwa The Peshwa (Pronunciation: e(ː)ʃʋaː was the appointed (later becoming hereditary) prime minister of the Maratha Empire of the Indian subcontinent. Originally, the Peshwas served as subordinates to the Chhatrapati (the Maratha king); later, ...

s were rapidly expanding over most of the Indian subcontinent and by 1741 had brought most of Odisha and the Barabati fort under their control and also brought the Khurda kingdom under Birakesari Deva I under their vassalage. The Bengal Nawab's control over the Northern coast lasted until 1741 when

led by general

Raghoji I Bhonsle Raghoji Bhonsle or Raghoji I Bhonsale or Raghuji the Great (1695 – February 1755) of the Bhonsale dynasty, was a Maratha general who took control of the Nagpur Kingdom in east-central India during the reign of Shahu I. His successors ruled ...

of the

Nagpur kingdom The Kingdom of Nagpur was an Indian kingdom in the 18th and 19th centuries. It came under the rule of the Marathas of the Bhonsle dynasty in the mid-18th century and became part of the Maratha Empire. The city of Nagpur was the capital of the st ...

, led the Maratha expeditions against the Nawabs of Bengal and during the reign of Birakesari Deva I,

Maratha invasions of Bengal The Maratha invasions of Bengal (1741-1751), also known as the Maratha expeditions in Bengal, refers to the frequent invasions by the Maratha forces in the Bengal Subah (Bengal, Bihar, parts of modern Orissa), after their successful campaign i ...

took place. In 1751 CE, Alivardi Khan signed a peace treaty and ceded the de jure control of the Northern coast from

up to the river Suvarnarekha, following which all of Odisha formally became a part of the Maratha Empire, thus ending the last remaining vestiges of Islamic rule over Odisha. The Aruna Stamba at the ruined

Konark Temple Konark Sun Temple is a (year 1250) Surya, Sun temple at Konark about northeast from Puri, Puri city on the coastline in Puri district, Odisha, India.

was also brought over to the Jagannath Temple at Puri during the reign of Divyasingha Deva II. Under the reign of his son Mukundeva Deva II, the British started making inroads into the region and emerged as the strongest contenders after conquering the regions of Bengal, Awadh and much of Southern India. Eventually after the Maratha defeat in the

Second Anglo-Maratha War } The Second Anglo-Maratha War (1803–1805) was the second conflict between the British East India Company and the Maratha Empire in India. Background The British had supported the "fugitive" Peshwa Raghunathrao in the First Anglo-Maratha War, ...

, the British ultimately took over the region following the Treaty of Deogoan in 1803 and created the Orissa division within the

Bengal Presidency The Bengal Presidency, officially the Presidency of Fort William and later Bengal Province, was a subdivision of the British Empire in India. At the height of its territorial jurisdiction, it covered large parts of what is now South Asia and ...

. Conflicts with the British led Mukundeva Deva II to plot rebelions with the Paik leaders and local chieftains. The rebellion was discovered and suppressed and the kingdom was eventually annexed to the Orissa division in 1804. The kingdom's minister

Jayi Rajaguru Jayakrushna Rajaguru Mohapatra (29 October 1739 – 6 December 1806) popularly known as Jayi Rajaguru was a prominent figure of the Indian independence movement in the state of Odisha. A princely-priest by profession at the court of the Khurda ...

was executed for his role in the rebellion and following petitions, Mukunda Deva II was released and exiled to Cuttack and Midnapore but later was reinstated in 1809 and was allowed to retain his title.

Colonial period and shift to Puri

Following the 1804 rebellion of Mukunda Deva II, the British decided to take control of the administration of the Khurda kingdom which was hence annexed to the Orissa division. However due to uncertainties regarding the administration of the temple and other religious endowments, Mukunda Deva II was allowed to return but was pensioned off to Puri in 1809 to remain as a titular head of the dynasty albeit reduced to the status of a Zamindar. He was however successful in persuading the British to allow him to retain control of the administration of the Jagannath temple in the sacred temple-city of Puri as it was an important socio-political institution in the Orissa region. Thus as Rajas of Puri, the Bhoi dynasty managed to compensate for the loss of political power by building a religious institution through the superintendence of the hereditary temple of the Gajapati kings of Orissa.

Post Independence

This remained the case until independence when the Indian Constitution brought in a republican system of government following which the Odisha government through the

Shri Jagannath Temple Act, 1955 Shri Jagannath Temple Act, 1955 is an Act of Odisha Legislative Assembly enacted to control the management and affairs of the Jagannath Temple at Puri. History With the British occupation of Odisha in 1803, the management of the Jagannath T ...

formally took over the management and affairs of the temple. The Gajapati was retained as the Chairman of the Temple Managing Committee which the current head of the dynasty,

Dibyasingha Deb Dibyasingha Deba, known by the symbolic regnal title as Gajapati Maharaja Divyasingha Deva IV is the current titular Gajapati Maharaja and the King of Puri. He is the current head of the house of Bhoi dynasty, who were the hereditary rulers of ...

fulfils along with the members of the committee appointed by the govt of Odisha.

Dhenkanal branch

Another brother of Govinda Vidyadhara, Harisingh Vidyadhara had conquered the Dhenkanal region during the rule of

during the

rule in 1530 CE and laid the foundation of

Dhenkanal State Dhenkanal State was one of the princely states of India during the period of the British Raj. The state is now referred to as Dhenkanal district, Odisha, with Dhenkanal, India, Dhenkanal town as its district headquarters. History Foundation o ...

. The princely state acceded to India and merged into the state of

following independence in 1947.

Rulers

Gajapati of Odisha

(1541–1548) * Chakrapratapa (1548–1557) * Narasimha Jena (1557–1558) * Raghuram Jena (1558–1560) Bhoi dynasty's reign as rulers of Odisha lasted nearly two decades, as they were deposed by Mukunda Deva in 1560. The dynasty then shifted its power centre to Khurda where they continued as Rajas of Khurda led by Vidyadhara's nephew Ramachandra Deva I.

Khurda kingdom

* Ramachandra Deva I (Abhinav Indradyumna) (1568-1600) * Purusottam Deva (1600–1621) * Narasingha Deva (1621–1647) * Balabhadra Deva (1647–1657) * Mukunda Deva I (1657–1689) * Divyasingha Deva I (1689 – 1716) * Harekrushna Deva (1716–1720) * Gopinath Deva (1720–1727) * Ramachandra Deva II (1727–1736) * Birakesari Deva I (Bhagirathi Deva) (1736–1793) * Divyasingha Deva II (1793–1798) * Mukundeva Deva II (1798–1804) (''titular till 1809'') The Rajas of Khurda continued to rule the region well into the early 1800s but by then their power had diminished. Then the Raja of Khurda along with other local chieftains led a series of rebellions against the British in 1804 which was suppressed. The Raja of Khurda was exiled but later reinstated and shifted to Puri.

Puri Estate

* Mukundeva Deva II (1809–1817) (''reinstated and continues as Raja of Puri'') * Ramchandra Deva III (1817–1854) * Birakesari Deva II (1854–1859) * Divyasingha Deva III (1859–1882) * Mukundeva Deva III (1882–1926) * Ramchandra Deva IV (1926–1956) * Birakisore Deva III (1956–1970) * Divyasingha Deva IV (1970–present, Current Raja of Puri and Titular Gajapati)

Gallery

File:Konark palm leaf manuscript.jpg, Konark temple sketch from an early 17th cen. palm leaf manuscript File:Shree Gopalaji Temple.jpg, Sakhigopal temple File:Satyabadi gopinath temple.jpg, Satyabadi Gopinath temple

References

{{Odisha Dynasties of India States and territories established in 1541 History of Odisha Dynasties of Odisha Hindu dynasties 1541 establishments in Asia 16th-century establishments in India