Bhoi dynasty in the context of "Kalinga (historical region)"

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⭐ Core Definition: 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 from the later weaker Suryavamsa Gajapati Empire 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 of Chalukya Dynasty in 1560.

Under Ramachandra Deva I, the dynasty shifted its capital to Khurda as Mukunda Deva lost his throne in 1568 to the Sultans of Bengal who eventually lost to the Mughal Empire 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 who conquered Odisha by 1741 and were later defeated by the British East India Company in 1803. The kingdom was eventually annexed to the British Empire 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 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, which is the Jagannath Temple at Puri.

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Bhoi dynasty in the context of Kalinga (region)

Kalinga is a historical region of India. It is generally defined as the eastern coastal region between the Ganges and the Godavari rivers, although its boundaries have fluctuated with the territory of its rulers. The core territory of Kalinga now encompasses all of Odisha and some part of northern Andhra Pradesh. At its widest extent, the Kalinga region also included parts of present-day Chhattisgarh, extending up to Amarkantak in the west. In the ancient period it extended until the bank of the Ganges river.

The Kalingas have been mentioned as a major tribe in the legendary text Mahabharata. In the 3rd century BCE, the region came under Mauryan control as a result of the Kalinga War. It was subsequently ruled by several regional dynasties whose rulers bore the title Kalingādhipati ("Lord of Kalinga"); these dynasties included Mahameghavahana, Vasishtha, Mathara, Pitrbhakta, Shailodbhava, Bhaumkara, Somavamshi, and Eastern Ganga. The medieval era rulers to rule over the Kalinga region were the Suryavamsa Gajapatis, Bhoi dynasty, Paralakhemundi Gangas and the zamindaris of Ganjam and Vizagapatam.

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Bhoi dynasty in the context of Gajapati dynasty

Gajapati is a regnal title from the region of modern Odisha in the Indian subcontinent. The word ‘Gajapati’ in Odia refers to "Gaja" meaning elephant and "Pati" meaning master or lord. Thus Gajapati etymologically means a lord with an army of elephants. The institution of Gajapati lordship as a title was used by the Eastern Ganga dynasty and was used by succeeding dynasties, as Gajapati dynasties, with the patronisation of Lord Jagannath as the deity of the Odia cultural realm. Four ruling dynasties have been part of Gajapati lordship or dynasties.

The current titular Gajapati belongs to the head of the Bhoi dynasty, as the dynasty inherited the legacy of the historical ruling lords of Odisha invested in the title of Gajapati. They also exercised administrative control of the Jagannath Temple at Puri.

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