Eastern Ganga dynasty

The Eastern Ganga dynasty (also known as Purba Gangas, Rudhi Gangas or Prachya Gangas) were a large medieval era dynasty that reigned from Kalinga from as early as the 5th century to the mid 20th century. They are known as "Eastern Gangas" to distinguish them from the Western Gangas who ruled over Karnataka. The territory ruled by the dynasty consisted of the whole of the modern-day Indian state of Odisha, as well as major parts of north Andhra Pradesh, parts of Chhattisgarh and some southern districts of West Bengal. Eastern Gangas ruled much of the modern region of Odisha in three different phases by the passage of time, known as Early Eastern Gangas (493–1077), Imperial Eastern Gangas (1077–1436) and Khemundi Gangas (1436–1947). During the early medieval period, Telugu served as an official language of the court. As the empire expanded northward, Odia gained official status in the later medieval period following its evolution from Odra Prakrit. The early rulers of the dynasty ruled from Dantapura (modern Dantapuram in the Srikakulam district in Andhra Pradesh), the capital was later moved to Kalinganagara (modern Mukhilinga in Andhra Pradesh), and ultimately to Kataka (modern Cuttack in Odisha) and then to Paralakhemundi (in Odisha).

Today, they are remembered as the builders of the world renowned Jagannath Temple of Puri and Konark Sun Temple situated in Odisha, as well as the Madhukeshwara temple of Mukhalinga, Nrusinghanath Temple at Simhachalam in Andhra Pradesh, and Ananta Vasudeva Temple at Bhubaneswar. The Gangas have constructed several temples besides the ones mentioned above.

The rulers of Eastern Ganga dynasty defended their kingdom from the constant attacks of the Muslim invaders. This kingdom prospered through trade and commerce and the wealth was mostly used in the construction of temples. The rule of the dynasty came to an end under the reign of King Bhanudeva IV (c. 1414–34), in the early 15th century and then Khemundi Ganga started ruling up to abolition of zamindari in modern India. The Eastern Ganga dynasty is said to be the longest reigning dynasty in Odisha. Their currency was called Ganga Fanams and was similar to that of the Cholas and Eastern Chalukyas of southern India.