Khurda

Khurda was the seat of the Gajapati kings of Odisha after the fall of the older kingdom centred on Cuttack. Its rulers claimed a special relationship with Jagannath at Puri as guardians of the great temple. The paikas, cultivators who also rendered military service, formed an important part of their armed following.

The East India Company occupied coastal Odisha in 1803. Resistance led by Jai Rajguru on behalf of the young king Mukunda Deva was defeated, and the kingdom lost its independence. Company revenue measures, the resumption of service lands and the salt duty created further grievances. In March 1817 Kandha fighters from Ghumusar entered Khurda and joined the paikas under their former commander Bakshi Jagabandhu. They attacked Company offices and the treasury; the rising spread to Puri and other parts of Odisha before being suppressed. Jagabandhu and other rebels continued to evade Company forces in the forests for years afterwards.