Gajapati dynasty

A major religious function included the patronisation of Lord Jagannath as the deity of the Odia cultural realm.

The current titular Gajapati belongs to the head of the Bhoi dynasty, which the dynasty had inherited the legacy of the historical ruling lords of Odisha invested in the title of Gajapati.

The Eastern Ganga ruler Anantavarman Vajrahasta V assumed the titles as Trikalingadhipati (lord of the three Kalingas) and Sakalakalingadhipati (lord of complete Kalinga) and challenged the authority of the Somavanshis which had authority in the central and western realms, eventually laying the foundations for the Eastern Ganga dynasty with the unification of the Odia kingdoms during the reign of Anantavarman Chodaganga.

Anangabhima Deva III laid the foundations of the Gajapati institution and establishment of Lord Jagannath as the patron deity of the realm.

[5][6] The Gajapati monarchs were devout worshipper of Lord Jagannath and patronized the Vaishnavite Hinduism with the Jagannath temple at Puri becoming the major religious hub of the Gajapati rule.