Patronage and Power: Women and Royal Queens as Temple Builders in Odisha

Satya Narayana Acharjaya

doi:10.36948/ijfmr.2025.v07i06.63131

Patronage and Power: Women and Royal Queens as Temple Builders in Odisha

Author(s)	Mr. Satya Narayana Acharjaya
Country	India
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
Field	Sociology > Archaeology / History
Published In	Volume 7, Issue 6, November-December 2025
Published On	2025-12-10
DOI	https://doi.org/10.36948/ijfmr.2025.v07i06.63131

View / Download PDF File

E-ISSN 2582-2160

doi

CrossRef DOI is assigned to each research paper published in our journal.

IJFMR DOI prefix is
10.36948/ijfmr

Downloads

Research Paper Format Copyright Permission Form and Undertaking Form Cover Page Vol 8 Isu 2 Cover Page Vol 8 Isu 1 Cover Page Vol 7 Isu 6

All research papers published on this website are licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, and all rights belong to their respective authors/researchers.

CC-BY-SA

About IJFMR Fees & Payment Current Issue Publication Archive	Submit Research Paper Track Submission Status Publication Guidelines Publication Ethics Peer Review & Plagiarism	Join as a Reviewer Editors & Reviewers Reviewer Referral Program Get Reviewer Membership Certi.	Website/Journal Policies Usage Policy Content Policies Privacy Policy

Contact Us		+91-9687-828-838	editor@ijfmr.com

International Journal For Multidisciplinary Research

A Widely Indexed Open Access Peer Reviewed Multidisciplinary Bi-monthly Scholarly International Journal

Patronage and Power: Women and Royal Queens as Temple Builders in Odisha

Share this