RELIGIOUS COMMUNITIES AND MILITARY FEUDALISMindicating the tribal origin of this cult which was only later identified with
Vishnu-Jagannath. The cult achieved historical significance with King
Anantavarman Chodaganga, who was a Shaivite like all his ancestors, but
who obviously fostered this cult in order to gain the support of the people
of central Orissa, an area which he had just conquered. He was related to
the Cholas (Chodaganga=Cholaganga) and emulated their example by
building the great temple of Puri, which has exactly the same height as the
royal temple of the Cholas at Thanjavur (Tanjore). But this was not merely
a case of emulating the Cholas, with whom he was not on very good terms;
rather, it was an act of defiance.
Subsequently, in 1230, King Anangabhima III announced that
Jagannath was the overlord (samraja) of Orissa and that he was his son
(putra) and general (rauta) governing the country on behalf of the god.
Some of his successors even referred to the years of their reign not in their
own name, but in the name of Jagannath. Kapilendra, a usurper, was in
need of special legitimation and gave generous presents to the priest of
Jagannath, who duly recorded in the temple chronicle that Jagannath
himself had appointed Kapilendra as king of Orissa. Kapilendra called
himself the first Servitor of Jagannath and equated any resistance to his
royal orders with treason (droha) committed against Jagannath.
It is difficult to assess the actual effect of this ritual policy of enhancing
the status of the king as a representative of Jagannath. As a policy it was
most effective in the suppression of internal disorder: it could also be used
against Hindu kings, whereas it made no impression on Muslim
adversaries. But perhaps it did help to consolidate the rule of the Gajapatis,
enabling them to resist the Muslim conquerors for quite some time.
The longevity of Gajapati rule had other, more mundane, reasons. In the
third phase, the evolution of an ‘imperial’ regional kingdom, the Ganga
dynasty had managed to subject a fairly large and fertile territory to its
direct control. About 250 miles of coastline and the fertile Mahanadi delta
were practically free from potential rivals—at least, they do not appear in
any inscription. In the pre-Gajapati period the term Mandala had referred
to the territory of quasi-independent princelings who were known by the
title ‘Lord of the Mandala’ (mandateshvara). Under the imperial Gajapatis
they were invariably replaced by an appointed governor (pariksha) which
is a clear indication for a more centralised government. The mountainous
hinterland, however, remained under the control of small principalities
called ‘Garhjat’ (castle-born=gada jata). The princes controlling these
fortified places were often from the respective tribes, but sometimes royal
princes would also be posted there.
There was also another new feature of administration under Ganga rule:
the rise of military officers as local magnates. This in a way anticipated the
later development in the Vijayanagar empire. An inscription from south
Orissa of 1230 contains a long list of such military officers (nayaka), who