Gajapati

A dynasty that ruled over territories corresponding to parts of present-day Odisha and the northern part of Andhra Pradesh during the fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries. It was also known as the Suryavamshi dynasty. Kapilendra (r. 1435–1470) is considered the founder of the dynasty and his reign was marked by the expansion of the kingdom’s territories into parts of present-day Andhra Pradesh and Bengal, as well as Odisha. The Gajapati rulers were in constant conflict with the Bahmani Sultanate and the Vijayanagara kingdom, while it was under Saluva and Tuluva rule. The empire went into decline after a conflict with the Vijayanagara ruler Krishnadevaraya, when it lost its strongholds of Udayagiri and Kondavidu in 1515 and 1516, respectively. The reign of the last Gajapati ruler, Kakharua Deva, ended in 1541.