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Kokila Devi was born in 1896 in Talapada village of Bhadrak district whose father Chaudhury Bhagbat Prasad Mahapatra was a zemindar and a nationalist. She was also the younger sister of Kanta Kabi Laxmikant Mahapatra who was also a nationalist poet. From her childhood, she was influenced by her father and took a great interest in the freedom struggle. She was married to Managovind Das Mohapatra. But her in-laws did not allow her to take part in the freedom struggle. Unfortunately, she lost her husband at an early age and she left her in-law's house and came back to her parentage where she had ample opportunity to take part in all activities relating to the freedom struggle. She joined the Indian National Congress in 1928. Popularly known as ‘ Kaka Maushi’ among the younger generations of freedom fighters, she was a mother figure for them. She established contact with women in her areas to convince them to join the freedom struggle. She learned the art of charkha quickly and trained the villagers in the art by opening up charkha centers in various villages. In 1930, she joined the civil disobedience movement with her female colleagues in the undivided Balasore district whom she led in picketing before the foreign cloth and liquor vendors as a result of which she came under the scanner of the police. In Sri Janga she was caned by the police for joining the salt satyagraha along with Malati Devi. But instead of being scared, she repeatedly picketed before various vendors. She was therefore arrested in 1932 and sent to Bhagalpur jail. After her release, she took part in the Harijan Welfare program in which she visited their villages and educated them. She led a procession of Harijans from her own village to enter the temple. During this time she joined the Purubai Ashram in Soro, started by Nandakishore Das where she trained many ‘Banar Sena’ boys about satyagraha and spearheaded the Harijan movements besides teaching people about swadeshi and charkha. Due to tireless work and devotion to satyagraha and irregular food she fell ill and was detected with tuberculosis. She died in 1936 at the early age of 40.