Inscription sheds light on divine kinship

Berhampur: Therare discovery of a 15th-century inscription of Gajapati Kapilendra Deva, unearthed at Bishnupur village in Nimapada block, holds immense historical and cultural importance. Unlike conventional royal depictions, the inscription portrays the mighty Suryavanshi monarch in a reposeful, human-like posture, yet worshipped with the grandeur of a deity thus offering profound insight into how Odisha’s rulers were elevated to divine stature within Utkal’s cultural ethos.

Found on a statue preserved in the museum near Somnath temple, the inscription was first identified by cultural researcher Prateek Pattnayak and later deciphered by epigraphist Bishnu Mohan Adhikari of Paralakhemundi. It reads “Ethara thakure abakasa bije kari achanti”. This is translated as “Here the lord is seated taking rest.” Surrounding the king are 22 attendants engaged in ceremonial services, from holding parasols to offering betel leaves, reflecting a ritualised veneration of the monarch even in moments of leisure.

Historians say the finding reinforces the Gajapati tradition of kingship deeply intertwined with spirituality, where rulers were treated as living embodiment of the divine order. The Somnath temple, originally built in the 14th century by the Eastern Ganga dynasty, later flourished under the patronage of the Gajapatis, providing the backdrop for this remarkable find.

With this, the tally of Kapilendra Deva’s inscriptions from Puri district has risen to six, making Bishnupur’s discovery a valuable addition to the corpus of Odishan history and epigraphy.