Purushottama Deva
Vira Pratapa Purushottama Deva (Odia: ବୀରପ୍ରତାପ ପୁରୁଷୋତ୍ତମ ଦେବ) was the second Gajapati emperor of Odisha who ruled from 1467 to 1497 C.E. He was the second ruler from the Suryavamsa Gajapati Empire. His father Gajapati Kapilendra Deva Routaraya chose him as his heir to rule the Gajapati Empire at the banks of river Krishna where he breathed his last. This decision infuriated his elder brother Hamvira Deva who was a battle hardened and successful warrior fulfilling the task of conquering the southern territories and expeditions against the Vijayanagara Empire as wished by his father.
| Purushottama Deva | |
|---|---|
| Gajapati | |
Gajapati Purushottam Deva depicted according to the Odia folklore of Kanchi Abhijaan and Manika, in the traditional wall painting of the Jagannath temple | |
| 2nd Gajapati Emperor | |
| Reign | 1467 – 1497 CE |
| Predecessor | Kapilendra Deva |
| Successor | Prataprudra Deva |
| Died | 1497 CE |
| Spouse | Padmavati |
| House | Suryavamsha |
| Father | Kapilendra Deva |
| Mother | Parvati Devi |
| Religion | Hinduism |
There is a legend that when, under divine guidance, Kapilendra Deva announced that he was naming Purushottama as heir apparent, the eighteen older sons in anger threw spears at Purushottama, all of which missed. Purushottama Deva is also the lead character of the legend of Kanchi Kaveri Upakhyana (poem) written by the poet Purushottama Dasa in sixteenth century and later translated to Bengali by the Bengali poet Rangalal Bandyopadhyay. This legend is also popular among the Hindu devotees of the Jagannath worship tradition of Odisha.