Paralakhemundi: After the demise of Gopinath Gajapati Narayan Deo, his daughter Kalyani Gajapati was coronated as the new Gajapati of Paralakhemundi. So, she becomes the first woman Gajapati of Parala royal family.
The coronation was done before the cremation of Kalyani’s father as per tradition and a ‘puja’ was performed at Ramaswami temple near the palace. Kalyani was taken in a procession to the Darbar Hall where she sat on the throne in traditional attire of a princess. After coronation, Kalyani issued her first order – the funeral of her father, as per palace tradition.
Fifty-year-old Kalyani, who is a spinster, is the 17th head of the dynasty. She was away from Paralakhemundi in early years of her life as she pursued her education in Bangalore and Chennai but she used to visit the palace occasionally.
Kalyani returned to the palace in 2017 to look after the affairs of the Gajapati Palace after allegation of house arrest of her father and subsequent hospitalisation.
Kalyani had contested in 2019 Assembly elections from Paralakhemundi constituency in BJD ticket but she lost.
Ms Kalinga