Patronage and Power: Women and Royal Queens as Temple Builders
in Odisha
Satya Narayana Acharjaya
Berhampur University, Bhanja Bihar, Berhampur Ganjam, Odisha
Received: 02 December 2025; Accepted: 08 December 2025; Published: 18 December 2025
ABSTRACT
The architectural and cultural history of Odisha is closely tied to its monumental temples, long regarded as
symbols of dynastic authority and religious devotion. Conventional scholarship has largely emphasized the role
of kings and male elites in shaping this sacred landscape, leaving the contributions of royal women in
comparative obscurity. However, inscriptions, land grants, and temple records reveal that queens and elite
women were not passive figures confined to domestic or ceremonial roles; rather, they emerged as significant
patrons whose endowments and commissions left enduring marks on Odisha’s religious and political life.
This paper examines the agency of royal queens as temple builders in medieval Odisha, focusing on evidence
from the Bhaumakara, Somavamsi, and Eastern Ganga dynasties. Figures such as Tribhuvana Mahadevi,
Vakulamahadevi, and Kasturi Devi illustrate how queens employed temple patronage to express devotion, secure
spiritual merit, and strengthen dynastic prestige. Their involvement demonstrates that temple construction was
not solely a male domain but a shared arena of authority where women could inscribe their presence into both
sacred and public spheres.
By situating female patronage within the broader discourse of power, piety, and memory, this study highlights
the role of queens as active participants in Odisha’s temple culture. It further contributes to the growing
scholarship on gender and patronage in South Asia by foregrounding the intersection of women’s agency with
religion and politics. In recovering these overlooked histories, the paper argues for a more inclusive
understanding of Odisha’s temple tradition as a product of both male and female power.
Keywords-Temple patronage, royal queens, women’s agency, Odisha, early medieval period, sacred
architecture, socio-political authority, cultural heritage
INTRODUCTION
The sacred geography of Odisha is renowned for its monumental temples, celebrated for their distinctive Kalinga
architectural style and deep ritual traditions (Behera, 1993; Bose, 1982). Scholarly narratives of these temples
have traditionally emphasized the role of kings and dynasties whether the Bhaumakaras, Somavamsis, or Eastern
Gangas in shaping the region’s cultural and religious landscape (Panigrahi, 1992; Sahu, 2004). In this dynastic
framework, temple construction is often understood as a prerogative of royal men, while the role of women,
especially queens, has been relegated to the margins. Yet inscriptions, land charters, and temple records reveal
that royal women were not passive consorts but active patrons whose contributions left enduring marks on
Odisha’s sacred landscape (Tripathi, 1995; Sahu, 2013).
The epigraphic evidence is particularly illuminating. During the Bhaumakara dynasty (8th–10th centuries CE),
a remarkable number of female rulers, including Tribhuvana Mahadevi I and II, are recorded as patrons of
temples and monasteries (Sahu, 2013). They endowed land for Brahmanas and Buddhist institutions, thereby
shaping both the political and religious texture of early medieval Odisha. Later, under the Somavamsis (10th–
11th centuries CE), queens such as Vakulamahadevi are credited with donating land and supporting temple
activities, their inscriptions affirming both piety and dynastic loyalty (Sahoo, 2006). The Eastern Ganga dynasty
(11th–15th centuries CE) also presents notable examples, such as Queen Kasturi Devi, who is associated with
Page 1426
