What was the Political condition of Orissa during the time of Mughals?

What was the Political condition of Orissa during the time of Mughals?

The kingdom of Orissa extended from the mouth of the Ganga to that of the Godavari. It was consolidated into a powerful kingdom by Anantavarman Choda Ganga who ruled for more than 70 years about 1076 to 1148 A.D. Ganga was a patron of religious and Sanskrit andTelugu literature.

The Jagannath temple at Puri is an example of “the artistic vigor and prosperity of Orissa during his reign.” His successors also did not allow the Muslim invasions to succeed. Narasimha I who ruled from 1238 to 1264 was one of the successors of Anantavarman Choda Ganga and he probably completed the construction of the Jagannath temple at Puri. He was also responsible for the construction of the temple of the Sun-God at Konarak in the Puri district.

In 1434-35, a new dynasty began to rule in Orissa and it was founded by Kapilendra. The founder had a lot of energy and ability. He was able to restore the prestige of the kingdom of Orissa.

The powerful rebels were suppressed. Kapilendra fought successfully against the Bahmanis of Bidar and the rulers of Vijayanagar. His kingdom extended from the Ganges to the Kaveri. He took possession of Udayagiri, seat of a Vijayanagar viceroyalty and Conjeevaram.

Purushottama ruled from 1470 to 1449. There were disorders during his reign. The result was that Narasimha captured the country to the south of the Krishna. The Bahmanis captured the Godavari-Krishna Doab.

However, Purushottama was able to re-conquer the Doab. He was also able to re-conquer the Andhra country as far as the Guntur district. Probably, he was not successful in getting back the Tamil districts of the empire of Kapilendra.

Purushottama was succeeded by his son Prataparudra who ruled from 1497 to 1540. On account of the aggressions of Krishnadeva Raya of Vijayanagar and Qutb Shahi kingdom of Golkunda, Prataparudra was not able to maintain his empire. He was forced to give away to Vijayanagar that portion of his kingdom which lay to the south of the Godavari.

It is contended that one of the reasons responsible for the fall of Orissa was the influence of Vaishnavism preached by Chaitanya. Orissa lost her position in the beginning of the 16th century.

In 1541-42 the Bhoi dynasty was established by Govinda, who was formerly a minister of Prataprudra. Govinda, his son and two grandsons ruled for about 18 years. In about 1559, Mukunda Harichandana set up a new dynasty. He died in 1568 and in the same year Orissa was annexed.