By: Sujit Mahapatra
A kid named Kapila from rural Kalinga (now Odisha) who came from a family so poor that they have to send him to take care of cow herd, otherwise known as cowman. As humble as it can get in medieval India. Kapila used to spend most of his time with his best friend named Kashia. The Kashia Kapila duo was famous in their area for their friendship. They both used to go to work together taking the cow herd with them for grazing. One day, Kapila was tired on a hot sunny day and went to take a nap during the day under the tree. He asked Kashia to look after the cows. Kashia was doing that and after a while he saw a horrific incident. He saw Kapila fast asleep, and a huge Cobra is standing on top of Kapila’s head, as if it’s guarding him. Kashia shouted and the snake fled. Kapila was unaware of this and when Kashia told him about this, le laughed it away. But the elders of the village told them that this omen meant Kapila was no ordinary guy, and he is destined to become someone very renowned, possibly a king.
Time went on, and during one Rath Yatra, Kapila’s mother took him to Puri to see Jagannath rath yatra. Kapila was enjoying the grand festival when all of a sudden, he was lost. He couldn’t find his mother. He kept looking for her, but in vain. After a while he became hungry and saw some left over prasad lying near Aruna Stmbha (of Temple’s entrance). Kapila started to eat it. Meanwhile King Bhanudeva (the fourth) was childness and was praying Jagannath for a successor to his Ganga dynasty. One day he dreamt of Lord Jagannath telling him that he will find his successor near Aruna Stambha, eating prasad from a broken mud pot (khapara). Luckily, he saw Kapila on that in Puri. The king asked his subjects to incorporate Kapila to their royal army.
Others in the royal army and ministry however were reluctant to accept Kapila. They could not believe that a cowman from such humble background can become a royal member overnight. But soon Kapila proved them wrong. He developed amazing skill in archery, sword fighting and horse riding. He was equally capable in people management and impressed everyone with his leadership abilities. Soon after Bhanudeva died, On 29th June 1435, Kapila was crowned as king of Kalinga and thus named, Kapilendra Deva. Bhanudeva was the last king of Eastern Ganga empire, and with Kapilendra Deva, the Gajapati empire started. The word Gajapati literally means the master of Elephants. Kalinga had a huge army of thousands of war elephants who used to make the enemies run away with fear.
At that time, India was dominated mostly by Islamic sultanates. It was a horrible time for the native population who were always in danger of being prosecuted. The Islamic Sultanates were particularly ruthless towards their subjects and always on the lookout for conquests. Bengal Sultan Muzzafar Mahmud Shah attacked Kalinga with the aim of annexing part of the empire until river Ganga. But Kapilendra Deva led his army to blow a crushing defeat to the Sultan. Kapilendra Deva instead annexed a part of the Bengal Sultanate known as Gouda and added it to the Kalingan territory. Thus, he took up additional title of “Goudeswara” or the Lord of Gouda. Afterwards Kapilendra Deva constructed the Kurumabedha Fort in Gangeswar village, West Bengal which still stands.
Another of Kapilendra Deva’s successful campaign was against the Bahmani Sultan. In 1456 AD, Humayun Shah became the Sultan of Bahmani and unleashed atrocities against the Hindu population. When his brutalities crossed all limits, the Velama Chiefs rebelled against the Sultan and asked Kapilendra for help. Kapilendra Deva marched against the Bahmani Sultan, and with the help of the Velama chiefs, defeated the army of the Sultan. He took up the title of “Kalabargeswara” afterwards and extended his empire to the south. The Gajapati empire was soon extended until Warangal. He established the Udayagiri Fort (Currently in Andhra) as his southern military headquarters. Gajapati Kapilendra also defended Kalinga from the Muslim Sharqui ruler of Jaunpur.
One day, Kashia, his childhood friend paid a visit to him. Kashia was not very hopeful that his best-fiend Kapila will recognize him. Kashia stood outside of the King’s castle and let the guards know about him. The guards relayed this message to Kapilendra. To the amazement of Kashia, Kapilendra deva came over himself to receive him. He was the same down-to-earth Kapila he knew from childhood! The humility of the king amazed many in his empire.
Kapilendra ruled for over 32 years from 1435 AD until his death in 1467. Sarala Das, a great poet who lived at the time of Kapilendra Deva has provided vivid accounts of the military arrangement of Kapilendra Deva’s time. Kapilendra was not only a great warrior and King but was also a very humble person by heart. He was the first King of Odisha who refused to call himself as the King but described himself as the servant (or sevak) of Lord Jagannath. He formally took up the title of Routray which translates to the ‘Chief Servant of Jagannath’. He made many temples across Odisha including the famous Kapileswara Temple. He made many structural enhancements to the Jagannath temple including the Narendra Pokhari in Puri. Thus, a mere cowman became one of the most successful Kings of not just Odisha but also in the whole of India. His story reminds us the proverb that “Sky is the Limit” if you have moral values and are driven towards your goal. Kapila became the great Kapilendra Deva!
Reference:
- Kapilendra Deba, by Dr. Godabarish Mahapatra,1931
- Wikipedia – Kapilendra Deva – Wikipedia
- Kasia Kapila Katha – Odia Children Story, (3) Kasia Kapila Katha | Odia Children Story | Odia Gapa – YouTube
- TIFpost: Kapilendra Deva Routray: The Legendary Odia King and founder of Suryavamsa Routray Gajapati Dynasty (tfipost.com)
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