Gajapati Dynasty (1434 - 1541)

Just before the onset of the Mughal arrivals and European skirmishes off the eastern coast of India, there existed an empire covering today's Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu region, known as the Gajapati (गजपति) Empire. They were the successors to the Eastern Ganga Dynasty (पूर्वी गंगवंश) in 1448 around the Utkala and Odra regions (in today's Odisha) and between 1459 to 1509, they would be in constant conflict with Husain Shahis and Ilyas Shahis of Bangala (Bengal). The Gajapatis would also be involved with hostilities from the west, the Bahmani Sultans who would occupy the regions around the Mouths of Godavari for a while. As the middle ages ended and proceeded towards the modern age of 15th-16th centuries, the Gajapati borders restricted around the Odiya coast which the English would later accede as a province, called Northern Circars. Now it would share its border with the fragmented Mughal province of Golconda that would later become an independent kingdom under the Qutb Shahis. But as the Hindu influence on the Odiya coast declined, another power rose in the Deccan, the Vijayanagara Empire, that had already been established but gained momentum in the 16th century during the rule of Krishnadevaraya. 

Some of the important towns of the Gajapati Empire with their modern names are listed below: 

• Jajnagar (Jajpur, Odisha)
• Kataka (Cuttack, Odisha)
• Khurda (Khorda, Odisha)
• Konarka (Konark, Odisha)
• Purusottama (Puri, Odisha)
• Ganjam (in Odisha)
• Potnur (in Vizianagaram district, AP)
• Simhachalam (in Visakhapatnam, AP)
• Kasimkotta (Kasimkota, in Visakhapatnam, AP)
• Rajamahendri (Rajahmundry, in AP)
• Pithapuram (in East Godavari district, AP)
• Ellur (Eluru, in West Godavari district, AP)
• Kondapalli / Mustafanagar (in Vijaywada district, AP)
• Kondavidu (Kondaveedu, in Guntur district, AP)
• Bandar / Masulipatam (Machilipatnam)
• Addanki (in Prakasam district, AP)
• Udayagiri (in Nellore district, AP)
• Gandikotta (Gandikota, in Kadapa district, AP)
• Valluru (in West Godavari district, AP)
• Nellur (Nellore, AP)
• Penugonda / Ghanagiri (Vasavi Penugonda, in West Godavari district, AP)
• Chandragiri (in Chittoor district, AP)
• Muluvagil (Mulbagal or Mulabaagilu, in Kolar district, Karnataka)
• Pulikat (Pulicat, Andhra Pradesh)
• Kanchipuram (in Tamil Nadu)
• Veluru (Vellore, in Tamil Nadu)
• Kuvalala (Kolar, Karnataka)
• Padaividu (Padaiveedu, in Namakkal district, Tamil Nadu) 
• Jinji (Gingee, in Villupuram district, Tamil Nadu)
• Tiruvadi (Thiruvadi, in Villupuram district, Tamil Nadu)
• Sendamangalam (Senthamangalam, in Namakkal district, Tamil Nadu)
• Tanjavur (Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu)

The area south of Udayagiri and west to Warangal, the region around today's Hyderabad (or as it was then known as Bhagyanagar) was reconquered from the Bahmanis between 1486 - 1491. But slowly the dynasty started losing territories to neighboring kingdoms. In 1518, it lost the territory south of Krishna River to Vijayanagara Empire and in 1568 it got divided into factions that was controlled by the Hussain Shahis of Bengal and Qutb Shahis of Golkonda. Although the Europeans had started establishing their trade posts at various coasts of Asian countries, the Gajapati Empire was practically untouched by any European influence even when the Portuguese conquest on the western coast was rising. 

One important figure to mention of this period would be Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, the founder of Gaudiya Vaishnavism and preacher of Bhaktimarg at the time when Hinduism was at a threat throughout the subcontinent with the rise of Islamic empires. This movement is also known as the Bhakti Movement which was a landmark milestone in Indian history as this was the era where various new reforms were inculcated in various subsections of Hinduism, namely Vaishnavism, Shaivism, Shaktism and Smartism. A fragment of this could be extended to the founding of Sikhism by Guru Nanak in the 15th century. The movement was also focussed on removing certain evil practices from mainstream Hinduism and to bring peace and harmony among others. 

The areas of Tamil Nadu were briefly held under the Gajapatis. The Tuluvas and Aravidus were partially part of the empire that would later be ruling clans of the Vijayanagara Empire. The Gajapatis had their capitals at Jajnagar (Jajpur) and Kataka (or Cuttack). Below here is a map of the Gajapati Empire at its maximum extent.