Afghan and Mughal Invasions of Odisha

The 16th century witnessed a series of devastating invasions that brought independent Odishan rule to an end. First came the Afghans of Bengal, followed by the Mughals, each leaving a trail of destruction and reshaping the political landscape.

Background: Weakening Gajapati Power

By the 1540s, the Gajapati empire had already declined. The Bhoi usurpers who ruled from Cuttack and Khurda lacked the military strength of their Suryavamsi predecessors. This power vacuum attracted ambitious neighbours.

The Afghan Invasion — 1568 CE

The most traumatic invasion was that of Sulaiman Karrani, the Afghan Sultan of Bengal. In 1568 CE:

• Sulaiman Karrani sent his general Kalapahad (whose identity is debated — some say he was a Hindu Brahmin convert) to invade Odisha.
• Kalapahad captured Cuttack after defeating the local resistance.
• He marched on Puri and sacked the Jagannath Temple, the holiest shrine of Odisha. The temple idols were allegedly burned or thrown into the ocean, and the temple treasury was plundered.
• The idols of Jagannath, Balabhadra, and Subhadra were hidden by priests to prevent desecration.

This event was deeply traumatic for Odishan society and is recalled in local memory as the year of Kalapahada — the great destruction.

Mughal Conquest — 1590–1592 CE

After the Mughal annexation of Bengal (1576 CE), Emperor Akbar turned his attention to Odisha. The Afghan remnants under Qutlu Khan Lohani had taken refuge in Odisha. Akbar dispatched his general Raja Man Singh, the governor of Bihar, to conquer the region in 1590 CE:

• Man Singh captured Cuttack after a prolonged campaign.
• The Afghan resistance under Qutlu Khan’s son was crushed.
• The Bhoi ruler Ramachandra Deva I of Khurda submitted to Mughal authority and was confirmed as the Raja of Khurda and supervisor of the Jagannath Temple.
• Odisha became the Mughal Subah of Odisha in 1592 CE.

Later Mughal Campaigns

The Mughals faced persistent rebellions:

• The Khurda rebellion under Mukunda Deva I (early 17th century) was crushed by the Mughal subahdar.
• The garjat chiefs in the hills frequently withheld tribute and were periodically punished with military expeditions.
• Under Shah Jahan and Aurangzeb, Mughal control tightened, but the hilly interior remained largely autonomous.

Consequences

The invasions had far-reaching effects:

• Independent Odishan political authority was extinguished for over 350 years (until 1936).
• The Jagannath Temple and its vast endowments came under the control of successive foreign powers — Mughals, Marathas, and British.
• The destruction of 1568 remained a powerful memory that fueled resistance movements.
• Odisha became a peripheral province, its revenues drained to imperial centres.

The 16th-century invasions thus marked the end of an era and the beginning of Odisha’s long experience of colonial subjugation.