The military hegemony of Odisha had declined during the last line of Eastern Ganga dynasty rulers which provided enough opportunity for the rising powers in its neighborhood. When Kapilendra Deva took over the throne, hostile Muslim powers like the Sultan of
Jaunpur (Mahmud Shah),
Bahmani Sultanate and the young ruler of Bengal
Samsuddin Ahmad Shah were continuously preparing to invade Odisha.
Rival Hindu powers such as
Deva Raya II of
Vijayanagara along with
Reddys of
Rajmahendri had
conquered advancing as far as the
Simhanchalam territory in the south. Along with suppressing internal rebellions, Kapilendra Deva first defeated the Jaunpur forces and then contained the
Bengal forces with the help of his minister Gopinath Mahapatra after which only he initiated his aggressive military campaigns of the Southern and Deccan parts of India.
Conquest of Gauda region in Bengal The Gopinathpur inscription of 1447 CE describes his campaign against the
Sultan of Bengal who tried to raid Odisha but was beaten back by the Gajapati army led by Gopinath Mahapatra, the minister of Kapilendra Deva. The Gajapati army conquered territories of Bengal to the west of Ganga river including the fort of
Gar Mandaran. Historian R. Subramaniam describes that the title 'Brhamarbara' retained by Kapilendra Deva from the days of his service at the Ganga king's court clearly signifies his control over Brhamarkuta Katakarajavanshavalli records state about the holy dip of the Gajapati himself in the river
Ganges and the
Dāna of Tulasipur
shasan villages to the Brahmins there. This clearly indicates that Kapilendra Deva was in control of regions beyond the river Ganga to its East.
The conquest of Rajamahendri •
First Campaign in 1444 CE - The first campaign against the alliance of
Vijayanagara Empire and
Rajamahendri Reddys was unsuccessful as
Odia forces had to face a two front war with both the Jaunpur Muslim forces in the north and the
rival Vijayanagara Hindu forces under the able leadership of the
Deva Raya II's able general Mallapa. Kapilendra Deva first diverted his attention in dealing with the invasion in the northern frontiers and hence the campaign in the south was abandoned. •
Second Campaign in 1446 CE and Capture of Kondavidu by Hamvira Deva - The Odia forces returned in the year 1446 CE led by the Prince
Hamvira Deva or Hamvira Kumara Mahapatra, the eldest son of Kapilendra Deva. The political alliance between the
Vijayanagara Empire and the
Reddy Kingdom had ceased to exist as
Deva Raya II had died and the power passed on to a weaker successor in
Mallikarjuna Raya. Kapilendra took advantage of this position in the kingdom of Rajahmundry and sent his son
Hamvira with a large army and succeeded in defeating the Reddis very easily. The kingdom of Rajahmundry was thus brought under the sway of Kapilendra before A. D. 1448.
Conquest of Kondavidu The territory to the south of the
Krishna was under the political sway of the
Vijayanagar kings till 1453. This fact is borne out by an inscription of Mallikarjuna dated 1453, at Matamuru in the Guntur district. After August 1453, Kapilendra's army crossed the Krishna and occupied
Kondavidu. Ganadeva Rautraya a relation of Kapilendra, was appointed as the governor of
Kondavidu,
Addanki and
Vinukonda. Therefore, almost the whole of the Guntur district passed into the hands of the Gajapati Kingdom between 1453 and 1454. The epigraph records conclusively proves that by A.D. 1454 Kapilendra had become the master of the former Reddi kingdoms of Rajahmundry and Kondavidu. Dr. Venkataramanaya, points out that some of the Telugu chiefs transferred their allegiance to Kapilendra. when the power of the Raya of Vijayanagara declined on the banks of the Krishna . We learn from chatu verse that Pushapati Tammaraju occupied many forts including
Bellamkonda,
Vadapalli, Ramgarajukonda as an overlord Kapilendra.
Malwa expeditions •
Conquest of Mahur - The Veligalani plates and Chiruvrolu inscriptions records the prowess of the Gajapati during the Malwa expeditions. Although there is not much mention of a war, but it does show geopolitical scenario in the region during the march of Gajapati Kapilendra Deva's forces as is described by the fear of the Gajapati army among the rulers of Vijayanagara, Gulbarga and Malwa. The text
Gaṅgādāsapratāpavilāsam and the cāṭu verses mentions the conquest of the Mahur fort in 1457 CE during the Malwa expeditions. It describes the campaign where Kapilendra Deva's forces marched against the dominions of the
Turko-Persian Malwa and
Bahmani Sultanates and wrested control of the forts of
Mahur and Bedadakota(Bidar).
Conquest of Telangana The political situation in
Telangana provided an opportunity for the Gajapati army to intervene and conquer the territory. The Velama rulers of
Devarakonda in Telangana and the
Bahmani Sultan Alau'd-din Ahmad Shah had cordial relations in the initial stages but on the event of war between the
Vijayanagara Empire and the
Bahmani Sultanate, the
Velama rulers backed the
Bahmani Sultanate and sought to fight the
Vijayanagara Empire. In an act of revenge the Bahmani sultan invaded the Telegana region and the Bahmani commander Sanjar Khan extracted vengeance on the common people. Native Hindus were sold as slaves. In 1456 CE, Humayun Shah ascended the throne of the Bahmani sultanate and his general Sikander Khan suppressed the rebel Velama chiefs after occupying
Devarakonda. Kapilendra Deva was invited by the Velama chiefs to rescue them from the Bahmani sultans. In 1458 CE, a battle ensued at
Devarakonda between Odia forces led by Prince
Hamvira Deva and the Bahmani forces. As a result of this battle Odia forces came out victorious and Telangana region became a feudal state of the Gajapati empire with the Velama chiefs as the vassal rulers. The victory over the
Bahmani Sultanate forces at
Devarakonda in 1458 CE enabled Kapilendra Deva to assume the title of
Kalavargeśvara which meant the Lord of
Kalaburagi.
Invasion of Bidar In 1461, Kapilendra Deva orchestrated a significant military campaign during the reign of
Nizam Shah Bahmani. The primary aim of this strategic maneuver was to capture Berar, with a specific focus on the town of
Achalpur in what is now modern-day
Maharashtra. Backed by Kakatiya chiefs, Kapilendra Deva led his forces into a consequential military confrontation against the Bahmani Sultanate. Despite their initial intentions, the Gajapati forces, under Kapilendra Deva's leadership had to retreat. This sudden withdrawal stemmed from Jaunpur Sultan
Husain Sharqi's invasion of Orissa. After capturing
Tirhut, he sent detachments to conquer Orissa. This compelled Kapilendra to retract from Bahmani territories, compelling him to seek peace. This turn of events forced the surrender of the Gajapati forces. The outcome of this campaign, set against the backdrop of Nizam Shah Bahmani's rule, left a lasting imprint on the historical tapestry of the region, shaping the narrative of Kapilendra Deva's military endeavors.
Subjugation of the Vijayanagara Empire and Expansion fort situated in Nellore district was first built by the conquering forces of Kapilendra Deva as the military headquarters of his Gajapati empire's southern territories. From the documents of the
Gangadasa Bilasa Charitam, it is known that Kapilendra Deva ordered prince
Hamvira Deva to conquer
Vijayanagara and the
Bahmani sultanate. Hamvira Deva successfully captured the imperial capital city of
Vijayanagara and forced it's weak emperor
Mallikarjuna Raya to pay yearly tribute. Hamvira Deva's general Tamavupala conquered the southern states of
Udayagiri and
Chandragiri in the year 1460 CE. The inscriptions of
Srirangam Temple near
Trichinapalli dictate that Hamvira Deva conquered as far as Trichinapalli,
Tanjore and
Arcot in south before stopping his advance. Hamvira Deva's son Dakshina Kapileswara Kumara became the governor of the southernmost territories of Chandragiri in the year 1464 CE after its conquest. By 1464 CE, Kapilendra Deva was the undisputed master of an
empire stretching from the
Ganges in the north to
Tiruchirappalli in the south along the coast. Thus he could proudly assume the imperial titles of
Gajapati Gauḍeśvara Navakoṭi Karṇāṭa Kalavargeśvara with due justification. According to the historian
R. C. Majumdar, Kapilendra Deva was the most powerful Hindu monarch of his time and under him Odisha became an empire stretching from the lower Ganga in the north to the Kaveri in the south. The Gopinathpur inscription aptly describes his position in 1464 CE:
Kṛtvā saṃyati Māḷāvendra-jayinaṃ senādhināthaṃ tu yaṃ Gauḍendrasya nitāntam Utkala-patha-prasthāna rodhārgaḷaṃ Śrīkhaṃṇḍādri payodharopāri karaṃ nirmāya Sānaṃdaṃ Kapileśvaro viharate Karṇāṭa-rājya-śriyā == Imperial consolidation ==