Balarama Deva

He was a powerful ruler and an excellent military strategist who ruled the hilly and forest tracts of western Odisha that was mostly inhabited by different tribal or aboriginal communities.

[1][2] After the death of the last hegemonic Gajapati Mukunda Deva in the Gohiratikri battlefield in 1568 AD, the Afghans and Mughals subsequently struggled for authority and an era of chaos had ensued.

During the rule of Gajapati Ramachandra Deva of Khurda, the forces of the Afghans of Bengal invaded again and again while the Mughals closely contested them for control of the region through repeated clashes.

In another case, the poem Jaya Chandrika written by Prahallad Dubey, the court poet of Sarangarh kingdom in the 18th Century, states that, Balarama Deva was fond of hunting and to fulfill his wishes he asked his mother for the region of Sambalpur which was situated on the bank of river Mahanadi and known for the diamond mines.

[4] The neighboring Haihaya ruler Kalyan Sahai had declared himself as the overlord of forty eight princely states and forts which included large parts of western Odisha along with Patna.

The poem Jaya Chandrika describes the kingdom as Huma Desha where the river Jira flowed and the center of power was located at Bargarh.

During his conquests, the Gangpur ruler gave away his daughter Kamala Kumari in marriage to Balarama Deva and also he subsequently married another self ruling princess of Surguja when the kingdom was defeated by him.

It is also believed that the harvest festival of Nuakhai dedicated to goddess Samleswari, widely celebrated across western Odisha and neighboring regions was initiated by him.

[9] Despite the collapse of central authority and disintegration of Odisha in the sixteenth century caused by successive invasions and betrayal within the bureaucracy, Balarama Deva was able to secure and expand the parts of his kingdom.

Samaleswari temple that was originally built by Balarama Deva after installing the deity under a Simuli tree and later his descendant Chhatra Sai Deo rebuild the sanctum to its present form after a century.
Samaleswari temple that was originally built by Balarama Deva after installing the deity under a Simuli tree and later his descendant Chhatra Sai Deo rebuild the sanctum to its present form after a century.