Kapilendra Deva

Kapilendra Deva (died 25 November 1466) founded the Suryavamsa Gajapati Empire of Odisha. A commander under the last Eastern Ganga king, Bhanudeva IV, he took power as the dynasty collapsed and became Gajapati. He drove off invasions by the Jaunpur and Bengal sultanates and sent his son Hamvira south to extend Odisha's rule; under him the empire stretched from the Ganga to the Kaveri.

He reduced taxes and warned nobles against oppressing the people. A patron of Jagannath worship and Odia letters, he was succeeded by his youngest son Purushottama Deva, whose succession led to civil war with Hamvira.