Krushna Chandra Gajapati, honorably known as Maharaja Sir Krushna Chandra Gajapati Narayana DevKCIE, was a key personality and regarded as the architect of an Independent united Odisha State. Sir Gajapati was a scion of the great Ganga Dynasty of Paralakhemundi, a Great Freedom Fighter, the first Prime Minister of Odisha and one of the founding fathers of the Indian Constitution, being a Member of the Constituent Assembly of India. The present-day Gajapati District of Odisha which was earlier a part of the historic Ganjam district was named after him. He was interested in Odia culture including its literature, art and music. He was also interested in sporting, in particular, horse-riding.
Early life and education
Maharaja Krushna Chandra Gajapati Narayan Dev, the scion of the great Ganga Dynasty of Paralakhemundi, was born on 26 April 1892 to the King of Paralakhemundi Goura Chandra Gajapati and Radhamani Devi. Shri Gajapati received his elementary education at the local Maharaja High School of Paralakhemundi and then entered the exclusive Newington College in Madras for higher studies. During his studies in Madras, he lost his father Shri Goura Chandra Gajapati. After completing his studies at Madras he returned to Paralakhemundi and in the year 1913 married the princess of Kharasuan State. In the same year he held the reign of the State on 26 April 1913.
Role in the formation of Independent Odisha State
Maharaja Krushna Chandra Gajapati, Utkal Gourav Madhusudan Das, Utkalamani Gopabandhu Das, Maharaja Krushna Chandra Gajapati, Fakir Mohan Senapati and other eminent members of Utkal Sammilani demanded a separate Odisha state with an amalgamation of Oriya speaking areas in the then Orissa-Bihar-Bengal province. Finally, with the effort of Maharaja Krushna Chandra Gajapati and Utkal Sammilani, the separate state of United Odisha was formed on 1 April 1936. From that day, 1 April is celebrated by the Oriya people as Utkal Divas. Gajapati's own state of Paralekhemidi in Vizagapatam district was partitioned into two – with the capital and most of the princely state coming under Orissa and the remaining Telugu-majority areas remained in Madras Presidency. In 1937, the first Governor of Odisha, Sir John Austin Hubback invited Krushna Chandra Gajapati Dev to form the cabinet. Shri Gajapati was the first Prime Minister of the Odisha state from 1 April 1937 to 18 July 1937. He was the Prime Minister of Odisha for the second time from 24 November 1941 to 30 June 1944.
Social and Philanthropic Services
He was instrumental in the establishment of the Utkal University, the SCB Medical College, the famous Central Rice Research Institute in Bidyadharpur, Cuttack, which is one of the largest of its kind in Asia and later MKCG Medical College & Hospital in Berhampur. He set up many hospitals, schools, colleges, industrial institutions, modern agricultural farms and provided a record number of 1281 irrigation sagars or water-tanks in his agriculturally dominant native taluk. For this reason, the undivided Ganjam District was given the title 'the rice-bowl of Odisha'. Under Gajapati, scholarships were awarded to thousands of poor and meritorious students in humanities, science, agriculture, medicine, and engineering, among others.
Sri Krushna Chandra Gajapathi died on 25 May 1974 at the age of 82. He was accorded a state funeral by the Government of Odisha and was cremated with full honours at Paralakhemundi.
