Vira Pratapa Purushottama Deva (Odia: ବୀରପ୍ରତାପ ପୁରୁଷୋତ୍ତମ ଦେବ) was the second Gajapati emperor of Odisha who ruled from 1467 to 1497 C.E. He was the second ruler from the Suryavamsa Gajapati Empire. His father Gajapati Kapilendra Deva Routaraya chose him as his heir to rule the Gajapati Empire at the banks of river Krishna where he breathed his last. This decision infuriated his elder brother Hamvira Deva who was a battle hardened and successful warrior fulfilling the task of conquering the southern territories and expeditions against the Vijayanagara Empire as wished by his father.
There is a legend that when, under divine guidance, Kapilendra Deva announced that he was naming Purushottama as heir apparent, the eighteen older sons in anger threw spears at Purushottama, all of which missed. Purrushotama Deva is also the lead character of the legend of Kanchi Kaveri Upakhyana (poem) written by the poet Purushottama Dasa in sixteenth century and later translated to Bengali by the Bengali poet Rangalal Bandyopadhyay. This legend is also popular among the Hindu devotees of the Jagannath worship tradition of Odisha.
Military achievements and territorial expansions
Crown Prince Hamvira Deva, the eldest son of Emperor Kapilendra Deva revolted against Purushottama as the latter ascended the imperial throne. Purushottama had a militarily advantageous fortification in Cuttack's Barabati fort, which in turn was protected by a string of other extensive fortifications and camps of the Gajapati forces. To make matters worse, Saluva Narasimha of Vijayanagara had attacked and seized portions of the Gajapati Empire like Kondapalli and Rajamahendravaram amidst this internal conflict of the ruling family.
Conflict with Hamvira Deva and Bahmani Sultanate (1467–1472 CE) A disgruntled Hamvira solicited a treaty with the Turko-Persian Bahmani Sultan Muhammad Shah III. Willing to capture Rajamahendravaram and Kondapalli, Muhammad Shah III placed conditions on Hamvira to accept his suzerainty when he becomes the ruler of the Gajapati realm and cede the desired territories from his father's empire. This deal between Hamvira and Muhammad Shah III has been mentioned in the works of Ferishta and Sayid AliTaba Taba. The Bahmani Sultan sent his commander Hussain Bheiry with troops to support Hamvira in overthrowing Purushottama. Gaining the support of the Bahmani forces, Hamvira Deva declared himself Gajapati in the year 1472. Purushottama lost more than half of his father's empire in the initial years to Hamvira and the Bahmani forces. Hamvira became a doppleganger Gajapati in the southern portions of Odisha and tried to invade the Gajapati capital ruled by his younger brother but was defeated.
Retrieval of lost territories from Bahmanis in 1476–1484 CE
Hamvira had ceded Rajamahendravaram and Kondapalii to the Turko-Persian Bahmani Sultanate for which commander Hussain Bheiry, was appointed as the governor and Hamvira ruled as a vassal king under them. In 1476, Bahmani sultanate weakened due to internal conflicts and a severe famine. Using this situation as a perfect opportunity, Purushottama Deva launched an offensive from the north and defeated his elder brother Hamvira, expelled the Bahmani garrisons and restored Rajamahendravaram and Kondapalli to his empire. Ferishta writes that due to the severe mismanagement amidst famine in the regions of Telangana until Rajamahendravaram by the Bahmanis, Saluva Narasimha of Vijayanagara had aided some internal rebellions. Sayid AliTaba Taba writes that when Purushottama's forces arrived in the region, the garrison at Kondavidu fort rebelled and killed their general before making Hamvira in charge. Hamvira not only surrendered to his brother but also resolved to help him in his further expeditions.
An inscription of Purushottama Deva dated to 1484 states that Azam Khan gifted the village of Mutukumalli located in the Vinukonda taluq of Guntur district to Purushottama on the occasion of a lunar eclipse. After dealing with the Bahamni forces and his rebellious elder brother, Purushottama turned his attention towards southern territories, which Saluva Narasimha of Vijayanagara Empire conquered amidst the internal conflict with his elder brother. He captured the Krishna-Godavari delta, parts of Telangana and expanded his march until Udayagiri fort where he imprisoned the Vijayanagara ruler.