Jeypore is one of the largest towns and a place of historical significance in Koraput district in the Indian state of Odisha. It was established by Vir Vikram Dev in the mid 17th century. The kingdom was defeated by the East India Company in 1777 who declared it a Zamindari or Feudatory of the British Crown and much later got acknowledged as a Princely state until its dissolution in the Dominion of India in 1947. The erstwhile kingdom was spread over the region of Uttarandhra and Southern Odisha. Geographically, Jeypore is a hilly region surrounded by Eastern Ghats and the Araku hills on three sides like a horseshoe with the western side opening up to Chhattisgarh in central India. History Before getting the name ‘Jeypore’ by the Suryavanshi kings this land was ruled by various dynasties like the Satavahanas, Ikshavakus, Nalas, Gangas and Shilavanshis. In 1443, Vinayak Dev the prince of Northern Kashmir married the only daughter of the Shilavanshi king and inherited the kingdom of Nandapur. He extended his territory while ruling as a vassal ruler under the Gajapati empire. However, after the decline of the Gajapati dynasty, the then Nandapur ruler Vishwanath Dev claimed sovereignty and began ruling as an independent chief in the South Odisha and North Andhra Pradesh region under the title of “Nauna-Gajapati”. According to some sources, Vishwanath was able to extend his kingdom from the boundaries of Bengal in North to the coast of Godavari in South. By doing so he rightfully adopted the title of “Gajapati”. In 1571, after the death of Vishwanath Dev Gajapati, the kingdom under the kinship of his son Balram Dev lost frequent battles to the Qutb Shahi of Golconda and became a tributary kingdom. In 1649, Maharaja Veer Vikram Dev abandoned the old capital of Nandapur and founded Jeypore, located amidst hilly ranges and dense forests. It is believed that the continuous intrusion of the Qutb Shahi governor and his military which was weakening the administration of Nandapur forced the king to shift his capital to a strategically viable land. The relationship between Qutb Shahi Sultan and the Maharaja improved significantly in the regime of Veer Vikram. Nevertheless, Krishna Dev, the successor of Veer Vikram, stopped paying tributes to the Golconda Durbar and claimed independence. In 1674, the next ruler, Vishwambhar Dev defeated the Qutb Shahi Governor of Chicacole who administered on behalf of the Sultan of Golconda