| Kalyani Gajapati | |||||||||
| Succession: | Head of the Parlakhemundi Ganga dynasty | ||||||||
| Reign: | 10 January 2020 CE - current (titular) | ||||||||
| Predecessor: | Gopinath Gajapati Narayan Deo | ||||||||
| Dynasty: | Eastern Ganga (Paralakhemundi branch) | ||||||||
| Birth Date: |
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Kalyani Gajapati or Kalyani Devi[1] is the current head of the Parlakhemundi Ganga dynasty. She became the first woman to head the Ganga dynasty of Paralakhemundi.[2]
Kalyani Gajapati spent her early years away from Paralakhemundi as she pursued her education in Bangalore and Chennai visited the palace occasionally.
Kalyani Gajapati was crowned at age 50[3] on 10 January 2020, after her father Gopinath Gajapati Narayan Deo died in Bhubaneswar. She is the 17th head of the dynasty. A puja was performed at Ramaswami temple near the palace. Kalyani was taken in a procession to the Darbar Hall or her court, where she sat on the throne in the attire of a princess. After coronation, Kalyani issued her first order: the funeral and cremation of her father.[4]
Kalyani Gajapati joined the political party BJD (Biju Janata Dal) in February 2019.[5]