Oriya language

Oriya

ଓଡ଼ିଆ odiā

Spoken in India

Region Orissa

Total 31 million (1996)

speakers

Ranking 31 (1996)

Indo-European
Language
 Indo-Iranian
family
o Indo-Aryan

 Eastern Group

 Oriya group

 Oriya

Writing Oriya script

system

Official status

Official Orissa
language in

Regulated by No official regulation

Language codes

ISO 639-1 or

ISO 639-2 ori

ISO 639-3 ori

Linguasphere
 Distribution of native Oriya speakers in India
This page contains Indic text. Without
rendering support you may see irregular
vowel positioning and a lack of conjuncts.
More...

Oriya or Odia (ଓଡ଼ିଆ oṛiā) is an Indian language, belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the
Indo-European language family. It is mainly spoken in the Indian state of Orissa. The language is
also one of the many official languages in India.

Overview
Oriya, also known as Odia, is the predominant language of Orissa (now unofficially known as
Odisha), where Oriya speakers comprise around 83.33% of the population according to census
surveys.

Oriya language in neighbouring states and in other linguistics regions

Outside Orissa, there are also significant Oriya-speaking populations in other linguistic regions,
such as the Midnapore District of West Bengal, the Singhbhum, Seraikela Kharsawan district,
Ranchi District of Jharkhand, the Srikakulam, Vizianagaram & Vishakhapatnam District of
Andhra Pradesh,eastern districts of Chhattisgarh state. Due to the increasing migration of labour,
the west Indian state of Gujarat also has a significant Oriya speaking population with Surat being
the second largest Oriya speaking city in India.The Oriya speaking people also found in
significant numbers in the cities of Vishakhapatnam, Hyderabad, Pondicherry, Bangalore,
Chennai, Goa, Mumbai, Raipur, Jamshedpur, Baroda, Ahmedabad, New Delhi, Kolkata,
Kharagpur, Guwahati, etc. in India.

Oriya language in foreign countries

The diasporic Oriyas constitute sizeable number in several countries around the world. They are
significant in number in countries such as Bangladesh, Indonesia, Java, Sumatra and Bali and in
the western countries such as United States, Canada, Australia and England. Oriyas are regarded
as one of the ‘Transnational Ethnic Indian Groups’. In India, the language is spoken by over 31
million people, and globally over 45 million speak Oriya. It is one of the official languages of
India and the major language of Orissa. Oriya language has spread to the other parts of the globe
such as Burma, Malaysia, Fiji, Indonesia, Java, Sumatra, the USA, UK, Canada, Australia, Sri
Lanka, Pakistan and UAE.

Major dialects

 Midnapori Oriya: (spoken in the Midnapore District of West Bengal)

 Singhbhumi Oriya: Spoken in East Singhbhum, West Singhbhum and Saraikela-
Kharsawan district of Jharkhand
 Balasori Oriya : (spoken in Balasore, Bhadrak and Mayurbhanj district of Orissa)
 Ganjami Oriya:(spoken in Ganjam and Gajapati districts of Orissa & Srikakulam district
of Andhra Pradesh)
 Kalahandia Language or Kalahandia Oriya:Spoken in Kalahandi district of Orissa
 Desiya Oriya: Spoken in Koraput, Rayagada, Nowrangpur and Malkangiri Districts of
Orissa and in the hilly regions of Vishakhapatnam, Vizianagaram District of Andhra
Pradesh.
 Sambalpuri oriya : Spoken in Sambalpur, Debagarh Sundargarh, Bolangir, Jharsuguda,
Subarnapur, Boudh, and Bargarh districts of Orissa and Raigarh, Bilaspur, Jashpur
districts of Chhattisgarh state.
 Bhatri:Spoken in South-western Orissa and eastern-south Chhattisgarh.

Oriya is written with the Oriya script.The Oriya spoken in undivided Cuttack, Puri, and
Dhenkanal district is known as Mughalbandi Oriya or Standard Oriya with little variance.
Standard Oriya is spoken as a mother tongue by nearly thirty one per cent of the population of
Orissa and the rest speak Standard Oriya either as a second language or third language.

History
Oriya is an Eastern Indo-Aryan language belonging to the Indo-Aryan language family. It also is
the closest language to Sanskrit in terms of pronunciation. It is thought to be directly descended
from the Prakrit known as Purva Magadhi that was spoken in eastern India over 1,500 years ago.
It bears a very strong resemblance to the Bengali, Maithili, and Assamese. Of all the languages
spoken in eastern India, Oriya appears to be the least influenced by Persian and Arabic.

The history of the Oriya language is divided into:

 Old Oriya (7th century-1200): The origin of the Oriya literature can be traced to
"Bauddha Gana O Doha", otherwise known as Charyapada written by the Buddhist
Siddhas of Orissa. The Oriya language begins to appear in inscriptions with Oriya scripts
in temples, copper plates, palm-leaf manuscripts etc. Traces of Oriya words and
expressions have been found in inscriptions dating from the 7th century AD. For
example, the Oriya word କୁମ୍ଭାର /kumbha:rɔ/ ‘potter’ occurs in a copperplate inscription
‘belonging to a date not later than the 7th century AD’. Similarly, in inscriptions of 991
AD, Oriya words like ଭିତୁରୁ /bhituru/ ‘from inside’ and ପନ୍ଦର /pɔndɔrɔ/ ‘fifteen’ can be
found. ‘An Oriya Passage’ also has been found in another inscription of about 715 AD.

 Early Middle Oriya (1200–1400): The earliest use of prose can be found in the Madala
Panji or the Palm-leaf Chronicles of the Jagannatha temple at Puri, which date back to the
12th century.

 Middle Oriya (1400–1700): Mahabharat, Chandi Puran, Vilanka Ramayan of

Shudramuni Sarala Das. Arjuna Das, a contemporary to Sarala Dasa, wrote Rama-Bibha,
a significant long poem in Oriya. Towards the 16th century, five poets emerged, though
there are hundreds year gap in between them. But they are known as Panchasakha's as
they believed to same school of thought, Utkaliya Vaishnavism. The poets are Balaram
Das, Jagannath Das, Achyutananda Das, Ananta Das and Jasobanta Das.

 Late Middle Oriya (1700–1850): Usabhilasa of Sisu Sankara Das, the Rahasya-manjari of
Deva-durlabha Dasa and the Rukmini-bibha of Kartikka Das were written. A new form of
novels in verse evolved during the beginning of the 17th century when Ramachandra
Pattanayaka wrote Haravali. Upendra Bhanja took a leading role in this period, his
creations were Baidehisha Bilasa, Koti Brahmanda Sundari, Lavanyabati were proved
landmark in Oriya Literature. Dinakrushna Das’s Rasokallola and Abhimanyu samanta
Simhara’s Bidagdha Chintamani are prominent Kavyas of this time. Four major poets
emerged in the end of the era are Kabi surya Baladeb Rath,Santha Kabi or Andha Muni
Bhima Bhoi, Brajanath Badajena and Gopal Krushna Pattanaik.

 Modern Oriya (1850 till present day): The first Oriya printing typeset was cast in 1836 by
the Christian missionaries which made a great revolutions in Oriya literature and
language.

Ancient Form of Oriya Language in 2nd Century BC Rock edict King Ashoka

The script in the edicts of Ashoka in 2nd century BC at Dhauli and Jaugada and the inscriptions
of Kharavela in Hati Gumpha of Khandagiri give us the first glimpse of possible origin of Oriya
language. From the point of view of language, the inscriptions of Hati Gumpha are near modern
Oriya and essentially different from the language of the Ashokan edicts. A point has also been
made as to whether Pali was the prevalent language in Orissa during this period. The Hati
Gumpha inscriptions, which are in Pali, are perhaps the only evidence of stone inscriptions in
Pali. This may be the reason why the famous German linguist Prof. Oldenburg mentioned that
Pali was the original language of Orissa.

Traces of Oriya words and expressions have been found in inscriptions dating from the 7th
century AD. For example, the Oriya word କୁମ୍ଭାର /kumbha:rɔ/ ‘potter’ occurs in a copperplate
inscription ‘belonging to a date not later than the 7th century AD’. Similarly, in inscriptions of
991 AD, Oriya words like ଭିତୁରୁ /bhituru/ ‘from inside’ and ପନ୍ଦର /pɔndɔrɔ/ ‘fifteen’ can be
found. ‘An Oriya Passage’ also has been found in another inscription of about 715 AD.[1]

Charyapada of 8th Century and its affinity with Oriya language

The beginnings of Oriya poetry coincide with the development of Charya Sahitya, the literature
thus started by Mahayana Buddhist poets. This literature was written in a specific metaphor
named “Sandhya Bhasha” and the poets like Luipa, Kanhupa are from the territory of Orissa.
The language of Charya was considered as Prakrita. In one of his poems, Kanhupa wrote:

"Your hut stands outside the city

Oh, untouchable maid

The bald Brahmin passes sneaking close by

Oh, my maid, I would make you my companion

Kanha is a kapali, a yogi

He is naked and has no disgust

There is a lotus with sixty-four petals

Upon that the maid will climb with this poor self and dance."

The language of Kanhupa's poetry has strange resmblence with modern Oriya language. For
example :

"Ekaso padumo chowshathi pakhudi

Tahin chadhi nachao dombi bapudi"

Padumo (Padma:Lotus), Chowshathi (64), Pakhudi (petals) Tahin (There), Chadhi (rise) nachao
(to dance) Dombi (a female of Orissa from untouchable caste), Bapudi (a very colloqual Oriya
language to apply as 'poor fellow').
or

"Hali Dombi,Tote puchhami sadbhabe.

Isisi jasi dombi kahari nabe."

These poems needn't require any translation in modern Oriya dilects.

Poet Jayadeva's literary contribution

Jayadeva was a Sanskrit poet. He was born in an Utkala Brahmin family of Puri in circa 1200
AD. He is most known for his composition, the epic poem Gita Govinda, which depicts the
divine love of the Hindu deity Krishna and his consort, Radha, and is considered an important
text in the Bhakti movement of Hinduism. About the end of the 13th century and the beginning
of the 14th, the influence of Jayadeva's literary contribution changed the pattern of versification
in Oriya.

Literature
The history of Oriya literature begins in the 14th century, with the great poet Sarala Dasa's works
Chandi Purana and Vilanka Ramayana, in praise of the goddess Durga. Rama-bibaha, written by
Arjuna Dasa, was the first long poem written in the Oriya language.

The following era is termed the Panchasakha Age and stretches until the year 1700. The period
begins with the writings of Shri Chaitanya whose Vaishnava influence brought in a new
evolution in Oriya literature. Notable religious works of the Panchasakha Age include the
Balarama Dasa, Jagannatha Dasa, Yasovanta, Ananta and Acyutananda. The authors of this
period mainly translated, adapted, or imitated Sanskrit literature. Other prominent works of the
period include the Usabhilasa of Sisu Sankara Dasa, the Rahasya-manjari of Deva-durlabha Dasa
and the Rukmini-bibha of Kartikka Dasa. A new form of novels in verse evolved during the
beginning of the 17th century when Ramachandra Pattanayaka wrote Haravali. Other poets like
Madhusudana, Bhima, Dhivara, Sadasiva and Sisu Isvara-dasa composed another form called
kavyas (long poems) based on themes from Puranas, with an emphasis on plain, simple
language.

However, during the Bhanja Age (also known as the Age of Riti Yuga) beginning with turn of
the 18th century, verbally tricky Oriya became the order of the day. Verbal jugglery, obscenity
and eroticism characterise the period between 1700–1850, particularly in the works of the era's
eponymous poet Kabi Samrat Upendra Bhanja (1670–1720). Bhanja's work inspired many
imitators of which the most notable is Arakshita Das. Family chronicles in prose relating
religious festivals and rituals are also characteristic of the period.

The first Oriya printing typeset was cast in 1836 by Christian missionaries. Although the
handwritten Oriya script of the time closely resembled the Bengali and Assamese scripts, the one
adopted for the printed typesets was significantly different, leaning more towards the Tamil
script and Telugu script.
Oriya has a rich literary heritage dating back to the thirteenth century. Sarala Dasa who lived in
the fourteenth century is known as the Vyasa of Orissa. He translated the Mahabharata into
Oriya. In fact, the language was initially standardised through a process of translating classical
Sanskrit texts such as the Mahabharata, Ramayana and Srimad Bhagabatam. The translation of
the Srimad Bhagabatam by Jagannatha Das was particularly influential on the written form of the
language. Oriya has had a strong tradition of poetry, especially devotional poetry.

Other eminent Oriya poets include Kabi Samrat Upendra Bhanja and Kabi Surya Bala Dev
Ratha.

Fakir Mohan Senapati

Prose in the language has had a late development.

Three great poets and prose writers, Kabibar Radhanath Ray (1849–1908), Fakir Mohan Senapati
(1843–1918) and Madhusudana Rao (1853–1912) made Oriya their own. They brought in a
modern outlook and spirit into Oriya literature. Around the same time the modern drama took
birth in the works of Rama Sankara Ray beginning with Kanci-Kaveri (1880).

One of the prominent writers of 19th and 20th century was Mr. Muralidhar Mallick(1927–2002).
His contribution to Historical novels is beyond words. He was last felicitated by the Sahitya
Academy in the year 1998 for his contributions to Oriya literature. His son Dr.Khagendranath
Mallick(1951-) is also a well known writer of the 20th and the 21st century. His contribution
towards Poetry, Criticism, Essays, Story and novels is commendable. He was the former
President of Utkal Kala Parishad and also former President of Orissa Geeti Kabi Samaj.
Presently he is a member of the Executive Committee of Utkal Sahitya Samaj.Another illustrious
writer of the 20th century was Mr. Chintamani Das. A noted academician, he was written more
than 40 books on fiction, short stories, biographies, storybooks for children. Born in 1903 in
Sriramachandrapur village under Satyabadi block, Chintamani Das is the only writer who has
written biographies on all the five 'Pancha Sakhas' of Satyabadi namely Pandit Gopabandhu Das,
Acharya Harihara, Nilakantha Das,Krupasindhu Mishra and Pandit Godabarisha. Having served
as the Head of the Oriya department of Khallikote College, Berhampur,Chintamani Das was
felicitated with the Sahitya Akademi Samman in 1970 for his outstanding contribution to Oriya
literature in general and Satyabadi Yuga literature in particular. Some of his well-known literary
creations are 'Bhala Manisha Hua', 'Manishi Nilakantha', 'Kabi Godabarisha', 'Byasakabi
Fakiramohan', 'Usha', 'Barabati'.

20th century writers in Oriya include Pallikabi Nanda Kishore Bal (1875–1928), Gangadhar
Meher (1862–1924), Chintamani Mahanti and Kuntala-Kumari Sabat Utkala-Bharati, besides
Niladri Dasa and Gopabandhu Das (1877–1928). The most notable novelists were Umesa
Sarakara, Divyasimha Panigrahi, Gopala Praharaja and Kalindi Charana Panigrahi. Sachi Kanta
Rauta Ray is the great introducer of the ultra-modern style in modern Oriya poetry. Others who
took up this form were Godabarisa Mohapatra, Dr Mayadhara Manasimha, Nityananda
Mahapatra and Kunjabihari Dasa. Prabhasa Chandra Satpathi is known for his translations of
some western classics apart from Udayanatha Shadangi, Sunanda Kara and Surendranatha
Dwivedi. Criticism, essays and history also became major lines of writing in the Oriya language.
Esteemed writers in this field were Professor Girija Shankar Ray, Pandit Vinayaka Misra,
Professor Gauri Kumara Brahma, Jagabandhu Simha and Hare Krushna Mahatab. Oriya
literature mirrors the industrious, peaceful and artistic image of the Oriya people who have
offered and gifted much to the Indian civilization in the field of art and literature. Now Writers
Manoj Das's creations motivated & inspired people towards a possitive lifestyle .Distinguished
prose writers of the modern period include Fakir Mohan Senapati, Madhusudan Das,
Godabarisha Mohapatra, Kalindi Charan Panigrahi, Surendra Mohanty, Manoj Das, Kishori
Charan Das, Gopinath Mohanty, Rabi Patnaik, Chandrasekhar Rath, Binapani Mohanty, Jagadish
Mohanty, Sarojini Sahoo, Yashodhara Mishra, Ramchandra Behera, Padmaja Pal. But it is poetry
that makes modern Oriya literature a force to reckon with. Poets like Kabibar Radhanath Ray,
Sachidananda Routray, Guruprasad Mohanty, Soubhagya Misra, Ramakanta Rath, Sitakanta
Mohapatra , Rajendra Kishore Panda, Pratibha Satpathy have made significant contributions
towards Indian poetry.

Phoneme inventory
Oriya has 28 consonant phonemes and 6 vowel phonemes.

Vowels
  Front Back
High i u
Mid e o
Low a ɔ
Consonants
  Labial Dental Alveolar Retroflex Palatal Velar Glottal
p t̪ ʈ tʃ͡ k
Voiceless stops    
pʰ t̪ʰ ʈʰ tʃ͡ ʰ kʰ
 b d̪ ɖ d͡ʒ ɡ
Voiced stops    
bʱ d̪ʱ ɖʱ d͡ʒʱ ɡʱ
Voiceless fricatives     s       h
Nasals m   n ɳ      
Liquids

Oriya alphabet   

Origin

The Oriya script developed from the Kalinga script, one of the many
descendents of the Brahmi script of ancient India. The earliest known
inscription in the Oriya language, in the Kalinga script, dates from 1051.
The curved appearance of the Oriya script is a result of the practice of
writing on palm leaves, which have a tendency to tear if you use too many
straight lines.

Notable features

 Type of writing system: syllabic alphabet in which all consonants have

an inherent vowel. Diacritics, which can appear above, below, before
or after the consonant they belong to, are used to change the inherent
vowel.
 When they appear the the beginning of a syllable, vowels are written
as independent letters.
 When certain consonants occur together, special conjunct symbols are
used which combine the essential parts of each letter.
 Direction of writing: left to right in horizontal lines.

Used to write:

Oriya, an Indo-Aryan language spoken by about 31 million people mainly in

the Indian state of Orissa, and also in West Bengal, Jharkhand, and Gujarat.
Oriya is closely related to Bengali and Assamese.
Also used to write a number of the other languages spoken in Orissa and
Sanskrit.

Oriya alphabet
Vowels and vowel diacritics with k

Consonants
Some conjunct consonants
Numerals
Sample text

Oriya script

Oriya

Type Abugida

Spoken Oriya
languages

Time c. 1060–present
period

Proto-Sinaitic alphabet [a]

Parent
  Phoenician alphabet [a]
systems o Aramaic alphabet [a]

 Brāhmī

 Kalinga

 Oriya

Unicode U+0B00–U+0B7F
range

ISO 15924 Orya

[a] The Semitic origin of the Brahmic scripts is not universally

agreed upon.

Note: This page may contain IPA phonetic symbols.

The Oriya script or Utkal Lipi(Oriya:ଉତ୍କଳ ଲିପି)or Utkalakshara(Oriya:ଉତ୍କଳାକ୍ଷର) is used to

write the Oriya language, and can be used for several other Indian languages, for example,
Sanskrit.

] History

A facsimile of an inscription in Oriya script on a copper plate recording a land grant made by
Rāja Purushottam Debb, king of Orissa, in the fifth year of his reign (1483 AD).

Although the cursive shape might suggest influence from southern Brahmic scripts like Tamil or
Malayalam, Oriya most closely resembles Bengali and Devanagari, as a closer examination of
the shapes below the characteristic circular hoops in Oriya letters reveal. These hoops, which
replace the horizontal lines in Devanāgarī and Bengali are thought to be the result of the long-
standing practice of writing manuscripts on palm leaves with a pointed stylus, which have a
tendency to tear if too many straight lines are made on the surface.[1]
Oriya is a syllabic alphabet or an abugida wherein all consonants have an inherent vowel
embedded within. Diacritics, which can appear above, below, before or after the consonant they
belong to, are used to change the form of the inherent vowel. When the diacritics appear at the
beginning of a syllable, vowels are written as independent letters. Also, when certain consonants
occur together, special conjunct symbols are used which combine the essential parts of each
consonant symbol.

Sample Text
"Oṛiyā is encumbered with the drawback of an excessively awkward and cumbrous written
character. ... At first glance, an Oṛiyā book seems to be all curves, and it takes a second look to
notice that there is something inside each." (G.A. Grierson, Linguistic Survey of India, 1903)

The Indic fonts used here and in the following tabels are taken from INDOLIPI.

(Text taken from Bidhu Bhusan Das Gupta and Bimbadhar Das: Oriya Self-Taught, Calcutta
1967)

Translation (by Das Gupta and Das)

There lived in a certain village an old man named Chandrasekhar. He had two sons. The elder
was called Shashibhusan and the younger Charubhusan. Charubhusan lost his father when he
was only a year and a half old. So his mother was very much attached to him. His elder brother
was older than him by seven or eight years. So when Shashibhusan was at school, Charubhusan
passed his time only playing about.

Oṛiyā Alphabet
Independent Vowels

Consonants
lohitendu dhal

Dependent Vowels

As with other Abugida scripts Oṛiyā consonant signs have an inherent vowel. It is transliterated
as ‹a›, phonetic value [ɔ] as in Bengali. Its absence is marked by Halanta (Virāma):

For the other vowels diacritics are used:

Vowel diacritics may be more or less fused with the consonants, though in modern printing such
ligatures have become less common.
Consonant Ligatures
Clusters of two or more consonants form a ligature. Basically Oṛiyā has two types of such
consonant ligatures. The "northern" type is formed by fusion of two ore more consonants as in
northern scripts like Devanāgarī (but to a lesser extent also in the Malayalam script in the south).
In some instances the components can be easily identified, but sometimes completely new glyphs
are formed. With the "southern" type the second component is reduced in size and put under the
first as in the southern scripts used for Kannaḍa and Telugu (and to some extent also for
Malayalam script). The following table shows the most commonly used ligatures. (Different
fonts may use different ligatures.)

Special Forms
‹ẏ› and ‹r› as components of a ligature are given a special treatment. As last member they

become and respectively:

‹r› as first member of a ligature becomes (called Repha as in other Indic scripts) and is
shifted to the end of the ligature:

Ambiguities
The Oṛiyā script exhibits quite a few ambiguities which add to the difficulties beginners
encounter in learning it.

Some of the basic characters of the alphabet may easily be confounded. In order to reduce
ambiguities a small oblique stroke is added at the lower right end as a diacritic. It resembles
Halanta (Virāma) but it is joined to the letter, whereas Halanta is not joined. When the consonant
forms a vowel ligature by which the lower right end is affected, this stroke is shifted to another
position. This applies also to consonant ligatures baring the stroke (see table of consonant
ligatures).

Some of the subjoined consonants, some other ligature components and variants of vowel
diacritics have changing functions:

Open top consonants get a subjoined variant of the vowel diacritic for ‹i› as in

This same little hook is used in some consonant ligatures to denote ‹t› as first component:
The subjoined form of ‹ch› is also used for subjoined ‹th›:

The subjoined form of ‹bh› serves also as a diacritic for different purposes:

The subjoined forms of ‹ṇ› and ‹tu› are almost identical:

The sign for the nasal ‹ṁ› may be used as a diacritic too:

Comparison of Oṛiyā script with its Neighbours

At a first look the great number of signs with round shapes suggests a closer relation to the
southern neighbour Telugu than to the other neighbours Bengali in the north and Devanāgarī in
the west. The reason for the round shapes in Oṛiyā and Telugu (and also in Kannaḍa and
Malayāḷam) is the former method of writing using a stylus to scrutch the signs into a palm leaf.
These tools do not allow for horizontal strokes because that would damage the leaf.

Therefore the horizontal stroke on top of most Devanāgarī and Bengali letters has become a hoop
in Oṛiyā. So in most cases the reader of Oṛiyā will find the distinctive parts of a letter only below
the hoop. Considering this the following tables clearly show a closer relation to Devanāgarī and
Bengali than to any southern script, though both northern and southern scripts have the same
origin, Brāhmī.

Vowel signs
Consonant Signs

Vowel Diacritics

The treatment of ‹e› ‹ai› ‹o› ‹au› is similar to Bengali, Malayāḷam, Sinhalese, Tamiḻ, Grantha and
also to SE Asian scripts like Burmese, Khmer and Thai, but it differs clearly from Devanāgarī,
Gujarātī, Gurmukhī, Kannaḍa, Telugu and Tibetan.

Oriya in Unicode
The Unicode range for Oriya is U+0B00–U+0B7F. Grey areas indicate non-assigned code points.

Oriya[1]
Unicode.org chart (PDF)

  0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 A B C D E F

U+0B0x   ଁ ଂଃ   ଅ ଆ ଇ ଈ ଉ ଊ ଋ ଌ     ଏ
U+0B1x ଐ     ଓ ଔ କ ଖ ଗଘଙଚ ଛ ଜ ଝଞ ଟ

U+0B2x ଠ ଡ ଢ ଣ ତ ଥ ଦ ଧନ   ପ ଫ ବ ଭମଯ

U+0B3x ର   ଲଳ   ଵ ଶ ଷସ ହ     ଼ ଽ ାି

U+0B4x ୀ ୁ ୂ ୃ ୄ     େୈ    ୋୌ୍    

U+0B5x             ୖ ୗ        ଡ଼ ଢ଼   ୟ

U+0B6x ୠ ୡ ୢୣ     ୦ ୧ ୨ ୩ ୪ ୫ ୬ ୭ ୮ ୯

U+0B7x ୰ ୱ ୲ ୳ ୴ ୵ ୶ ୷              

Brahmic family of scripts

The Brahmic or Indic scripts are a family of abugida (alphabetic-syllabary) writing systems.
They are used throughout South Asia, Southeast Asia, and parts of Central and East Asia, and are
descended from the Brāhmī script of the ancient Indian subcontinent. They are used by
languages of several linguistic families: Indo-European, Dravidian, Tibeto-Burman, Mongolic,
Austro-Asiatic, Austronesian, Tai, and possibly Korean (hangul). They were also the source of
the dictionary order of Japanese kana.

History
An inscription in Old Tamil script (Vatteluttu) from the Later Chola period, circa 11th century
AD. Old Tamil is a direct descendant of the Brahmi writing system

Brahmic scripts are descended from the Brahmi script. Brahmi is clearly attested from the 3rd
century BCE during the reign of Ashoka, who used the script for imperial edicts, but there are
some recent finds of earlier epigraphy in Tamil-Brahmi writing found on pottery in South India
and Sri Lanka, dating back to the 6th century BCE or even earlier. Northern Brahmi gave rise to
the Gupta script during the Gupta period, which in turn diversified into a number of cursives
during the Middle Ages, including Siddham, Sharada and Nagari.

The Siddham (kanji: 悉曇, modern Japanese pronunciation: shittan) script was especially
important in Buddhism because many sutras were written in it, and the art of Siddham
calligraphy survives today in Japan. The syllabic nature and dictionary order of the modern kana
system of Japanese writing is believed to be descended from the Indic scripts, most likely
through the spread of Buddhism.[1]

Southern Brahmi evolved into Grantha and Old-Kannada Scripts among others, which in turn
diversified into numerous scripts of Southeast Asia.

Bhattiprolu was a great centre of Buddhism during 3rd century BCE and from where Buddhism
spread to east Asia. The present Telugu script is derived from Bhattiprolu Script or 'Kannada-
Telugu script', also known as 'old Kannada script', owing to its similarity to the same[2][3].

Initially, minor changes were made which is now called Tamil brahmi which has far fewer letters
than some of the other Indic scripts as it has no separate aspirated or voiced consonants. Later
under the influence of Granta vetteluthu evolved which looks similar to present day Malayalam
script. Still further changes were made in 19th and 20th centuries to make use of printing and
typewriting needs before we have the present script.

Gari Ledyard has hypothesized that the hangul script used to write Korean is based on the
Mongol 'Phags-pa script, a descendant of the Brahmic family via Tibetan.

Characteristics
Halmidi Inscription Replica shows Kannada script which is thought to have emerged from
Ashokan Brahmi around 4th or 3rd Century BCE as Proto-Kannada

Some characteristics, which may not be present in all the scripts are:

 Each consonant has an inherent vowel which is usually short 'a' (in Bengali, Oriya, and
Assamese, it is short 'ô' due to sound shifts). Other vowels are written by adding to the
character. A mark, known in Sanskrit as a virama/halant can be used to indicate the
absence of an inherent vowel.
 Each vowel has two forms, an independent form when not part of a consonant, and a
dependent form, when attached to a consonant. Depending on the script, the dependent
forms can be either placed to the left of, to the right of, above, below, or on both the left
and the right sides of the base consonant.
 Consonants (up to 5 in Devanagari) can be combined in ligatures. Special marks are
added to denote the combination of 'r' with another consonant.
 Nasalization and aspiration of a consonant's dependent vowel is also noted by separate
signs.
 The traditional ordering can be summarized as follows: vowels, velar consonants, palatal
consonants, retroflex consonants, dental consonants, bilabial consonants, approximants,
sibilants, and other consonants. Each consonant grouping had four consonants (with all
four possible values of voicing and aspiration), and a nasalised consonant.

Comparison
Below are comparison charts of several of the major Indic scripts; transliteration is indicated in
ISO 15919; pronunciation is indicated in International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). Pronunciation is
taken from Sanskrit where possible, but other languages where necessary. These lists are not
comprehensive; some glyphs are unrepresented. Some pronunciations may be inaccurate or
different from the ones listed, partly because the graphemically corresponding glyphs listed in
the same column are not necessarily phonetically identical.

Consonants

k g ṭ ḍ t d p b
ISO k g ṅ c ch j jh ñ ṭ ḍ ṇ t d n ṉ p b my r ṟ l ḷ ḻ v ś ṣ s h
h h h h h h h h

k ɡ ʈ ɖ t̪ d̪ p b
IPA k ɡ ŋ c cʰ ɟ ɟʱ ɲ ʈ ɖ ɳ t̪ d̪ n̪ n p b m j r ɾ l ɭ ɻ ʋ ʃ ʂ s ɦ
ʰ ʱ ʰ ʱ ʰ ʱ ʰ ʱ
Oriy
a କଖଗଘ ଙଚ ଛ ଜ ଝ ଞ ଟଠଡ ଢ ଣ ତଥଦଧନ   ପଫବ ଭମଯ ର   ଲଳ   ଵ ଶ ଷ ସ ହ
E. র/
Naga কখ গ ঘ ঙ চ ছ জ ঝ ঞ ট ঠ ড ঢ ণ তথ দ ধ ন   প ফ ব ভম য   ল     ৱশষ স হ
ri ৰ
Deva
naga कख ग घ ङ च छ ज झ ञ ट ठ ड ढ ण त थ द ध न ऩ प फ ब भ म य र ऱ लळऴ व श ष स ह
ri
Guja
rati
ક ખગઘ ઙ ચછ જઝ ઞ ટ ઠ ડ ઢ ણ તથદ ધન   પ ફ બભમય ર   લળ   વશષ સ હ

Gur ਲ
muk ਕ ਖ ਗਘ ਙ ਚ ਛ ਜ ਝ ਞ ਟਠਡ ਢ ਣ ਤਥਦਧਨ   ਪ ਫ ਬ ਭ ਮ ਯ ਰ   ਲ   ਵ ਸ਼   ਸ ਹ
hi ਼
Tibet ཀཁག   ངཅ ཆ ཇ   ཉ ཊཋཌ   ཎ ཏཐད   ན   པཕ བ   མཡ ར  ལ     ཝཤ ཥ ས ཧ
an
Brah
mi      
Telu క ఖగ ఘఙచ ఛ జఝఞ టఠ డ ఢ ణ తథదధన   ప ఫ బ భమయర ఱల ళ   వ శ ష స హ
gu
Kann
ada
ಕ ಖಗ ಘ ಙಚ ಛ ಜಝಞ ಟಠ ಡ ಢ ಣ ತಥದಧನ   ಪಫ ಬ ಭಮಯರ ಱಲಳೞವ ಶ ಷ ಸ ಹ

Sinh
ala කඛ ග ඝ ඞ ච ඡ ජ ඣඤ ට ඨ ඩ ඪ ණතථ ද ධන   ප ඵ බ භම ය ර   ලළ   ව ශ ෂ ස හ

Mala
yala കഖഗഘങചഛജഝഞട ഠഡഢണതഥദധന പഫബഭമയര റലളഴവശഷസഹ
m

Tami க       ஙச   ஜ   ஞட      ணத       நனப       மயர றலளழவஶஷஸஹ

 l

Bur ဉ/
mese
ကခ ဂ ဃင စ ဆဇ ဈ ဋ ဌ ဍ ဎ ဏတထဒ ဓ န   ပ ဖ ဗ ဘမ ယရ   လဠ ၔ ဝ ၐ ၑ သဟ
ည
Khm ក ខ គ ឃ ង ច ឆ ជឈ ញ ដ ឋ ឌ ឍណត ថ ទ ធ ន   ប ផ ព ភ ម យ រ  លឡ   វ ឝ ឞ ស ហ
er
Thai กขคฆ ง จ ฉ ช ฌ ญ ฏฐฑฒณตถทธน   ปผ พภม ย ร   ลฬ  ว ศ ษ ส ห
Lao ກຂຄ   ງ ຈ   ຊ   ຍ           ຕຖທ   ນ   ປຜຟພມຢ ຣ   ລ     ວ     ສ ຫ
Balin
ese ᬓᬔᬕᬖ ᬗᬘᬙ ᬚᬛ ᬜ ᬝᬞᬟᬠ ᬡ ᬢᬣᬤᬥᬦ   ᬧᬨᬩ ᬪᬫᬬ ᬭ   ᬮ     ᬯᬰᬱ ᬲ ᬳ
Bayb
ayin ᜃ   ᜄ   ᜅ                     ᜆ   ᜇ   ᜈ   ᜉ   ᜊ   ᜋᜌ ᜇ   ᜎ           ᜐ ᜑ

Vowels

Vowels are presented in their independent form on the left of each column, and in their
corresponding dependent form (vowel sign) combined with the consonant k on the right. A glyph
for ka is an independent consonant letter itself without any vowel sign, where the vowel a is
inherent.

ISO a ā æ ǣ i ī u ū e ē ai o ō au r̥ r̥̄ l̥ l̥̄

IPA ə ɑː æ æː i iː u uː e eː əi o oː əu r̩ r̩ː l̩ l̩ː

Ori
କ କ କ କ କ କ କ କ କ
ya ଅକଆ         ଇକି ଈ ଉକୁ ଊ କୂ     ଏ ଐ     ଓ ଔ ଋକୃ ୠ ଌ ୡ
ା ୀ େ ୈ ୋୌ ୄ ୢ ୣ

অক
E. ক্ ্ ক ক ক ক
Nag অকআ     ই ঈ উকু ঊ কূ     এ কে ঐ     ও ঔ কৌ ঋ কৃ ৠ কৄ ঌকৢ ৡ কৣ
ari ায য ি ী ৈ ো
াা
Dev
अ
ana अ क आ का कॅ
क
ऑ इ कि ई की उ कु ऊ कू ऎ कॆ ए के ऐ कै ऒकॊ ओको औ कौ ऋ कृ ॠ कॄ ऌ कॢ ॡ कॣ
gari ॅ ॉ
Guj ક ક
arat અકઆ         ઇકિ ઈ ઉ કુ ઊકૂ     એ કે ઐ કૈ     ઓકો ઔકૌ ઋકૃ ૠકૄ ઌકૢ ૡકૣ
i ા ી
Gur
ਅਕਆਕ         ਇਕ ਈ ਕ ਉਕੁ ਊ ਕੂ     ਏ ਕੇ ਐ ਕੈ     ਓ ਕੋ ਔ ਕੌ                
mu
khi ਾ ਿ ੀ
Tib ཨ ཀ ཨཱ ཀཱ         ཨི ཀི ཨཱི ཀཱི ཨུ ཀུ ཨཱུ ཀཱུ     ཨེ ཀེ ཨཻ ཀཻ     ཨོ ཀོ ཨཽ ཀཽ རྀ ཀྲྀ རཱྀ ཀཷ ལྀ ཀླྀ ལཱྀ ཀྀླཱ
etan
Bra
hmi                                                     
క క క క క
Tel అక ఆ ఇ కి ఈ కీ ఉ ఊ ఎ కె ఏ కే ఐ కై ఒ కొ ఓ కో ఔ కౌ ఋ ౠ ఌకౢ ౡకౣ
ugu       
ా ు ూ ృ ౄ

Kan ಕ ಕ ಕ ಕ ಕ ಕ ಕ ಕ ಕ
nad ಅಕ ಆ        ಇಕಿ ಈ ಉ ಊ ಎ ಕೆ ಏ ಕೇ ಐ ಒ ಓ ಔ ಕೌ ಋ ೠ ಌಕೢ ೡಕೣ
a ಾ ೀು ೂ ೈ ೊ ೋ ೃ ೄ
Sin ක ක ක ක ක ක ක ක ක ක ක ක ක ක ක ක ක
අ කආ ඇ ඈ ඉ ඊ උ ඌ එ ඒ ඓ ඔ ඕ ඖ ඍ ඎ ඏ ඐ
hala ා ැ ෑ ි ී ු ූ ෙ ේ ෛො ෝ ෞ ෘ ෲ ෟ ෳ
Mal ക ക ക ക ക ക ക ക ക ക ക ക ക ക ക
ayal അകആ         ഇ ഈഉ ഊ എ ഏ ഐഒ ഓ ഔ ഋ ൠ ഌ ൡ
am ാ ി ീ ു ൂ െ േ ൈൊോ ൗ ൃ ൄ ൢ ൣ

Ta
க க க க க க க க க க
அகஆ         இ ஈகீ உ ஊ எ ஏ ஐ ஒ ஓ ஔ                
mil ா ி ு ூ ெ ே ைொோௌ
အက က က
Bur အက က က က က က က က က က
mes အက         ဣ ဤ ဥ ဦ ဧ ေေ     ဩေ     ဪေၒ ၓ ၔ ၕ
e ာာ ိ ီ ု ူ ေ ၖ ၗ ၘ ၙ
းး ာ ာ်
Kh ឣ ក ឤ កា         ឥ កិ ឦ កី ឧ កុ ឩ កូ     ឯ កេ ឰ កៃ     ឱ កោ ឳ កៅ ឫ ក្ឫ ឬ ក្ឬ ឭ ក្ឭ ឮ ក្ឮ
mer
อ อ
Tha อ อา กา โ อา อ กฤ อ ก กฦ
ก อา กา         อิ กิ อี กี อุ กุ อู กู     เ เก     โก กาว กฤ ฤ ฦ
i ะ ย ย อ ว ฤ ๅ ฦฦ ๅ
ๅ ๅ
Bali ᬓ ᬓ ᬓ ᬓ ᬓ ᬓ ᬓ ᬓ ᬓ ᬓ ᬓ ᬓ ᬓ
nese ᬅᬓᬆ ᬵ         ᬇᬶ ᬈ ᬷ ᬉᬸ ᬊ ᬹ     ᬏ ᬾ ᬐ ᬿ     ᬑ ᭀ ᬒ ᭁ ᬋᬺ ᬌ ᬻ ᬍᬼ ᬎᬽ
Bay
bayi ᜀ
ᜃ ᜃ ᜃ ᜃ
             ᜁ     ᜂ     ᜁ         ᜂ                        
n ᜒ ᜓ ᜒ ᜓ

Note: Glyphs for r̥̄, l̥ , l̥ ̄ and a few other glyphs are obsolete or very rarely used.

] Numerals
   0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Oriya ୦ ୧ ୨ ୩ ୪ ୫ ୬ ୭ ୮ ୯
E. Nagari ০ ১ ২ ৩ ৪ ৫ ৬ ৭ ৮ ৯
Devanagari ० १ २ ३ ४ ५ ६ ७ ८ ९
Gujarati ૦ ૧ ૨ ૩ ૪ ૫ ૬ ૭ ૮ ૯

Gurmukhi ੦ ੧ ੨ ੩ ੪ ੫ ੬ ੭ ੮ ੯
Tibetan ༠ ༡ ༢ ༣ ༤ ༥ ༦ ༧ ༨ ༩
Brahmi

Telugu ౦ ౧ ౨ ౩ ౪ ౫ ౬ ౭ ౮ ౯

Kannada ೦ ೧ ೨ ೩ ೪ ೫ ೬ ೭ ೮ ೯
Malayalam ൦ ൧൨൩൪ ൫ ൬൭൮ ൯
Tamil ೦ ௧ ௨ ௩ ௪௫௬௭௮௯
Burmese ၀ ၁ ၂ ၃ ၄ ၅ ၆ ၇ ၈ ၉
Khmer ០ ១ ២ ៣ ៤ ៥ ៦ ៧ ៨ ៩
Thai ๐ ๑ ๒ ๓ ๔ ๕ ๖ ๗ ๘ ๙
Lao ໐ ໑ ໒ ໓ ໔ ໕ ໖ ໗ ໘ ໙
Balinese ᭐ ᭑ ᭒ ᭓ ᭔ ᭕ ᭖ ᭗ ᭘ ᭙
Javanese ꧐ ꧑ ꧒ ꧓ ꧔ ꧕ ꧖ ꧗ ꧘ ꧙

List of Brahmic scripts

Scripts derived from Brahmi.

Historical

The Brahmi script was already divided into regional variants at the time of the earliest surviving
epigraphy around the 3rd century BCE. Cursives of the Brahmi script began to diversify further
from around the 5th century CE and continued to give rise to new scripts throughout the Middle
Ages. The main division in antiquity was between northern and southern Brahmi. In the northern
group, the Gupta script was very influential, and in the southern group the Grantha and Old-
Kannada Scripts with the spread of Hinduism spread Brahmic scripts throughout Southeast Asia.
 Northern Brahmic
o Anga Lipi, 6th century BCE

o Gupta script, 5th century

 Sharada, 8th century

 Siddham, 7th century
 Phagspa, 13th century
 Nagari, 8th century
 Eastern Nagari, 11th century
 Devanagari, 13th century
 Kaithi, Sylheti Nagari, 16th century
 Modi, 17th century
o Nepal

 Bhujimol, 6th century

 Ranjana, 12th century
 Soyombo, 17th century
 Prachalit
o Mithilakshar, 15th century

 Southern Brahmi (Tamil Brahmi, Kalinga, Bhattiprolu), 5th century BCE

o Proto Kannada, 3rd century BCE

 Kadamba or Pre-Old-Kannada, 5th century

o Vatteluttu

o Grantha, 6th century

 Dhives Akuru
 Kawi script, 8th century
 Batak, 14th century
 Tocharian script ("Slanting Brahmi"), 7th century
 Ahom, 13th century
  Tai Tham (Lanna), 14th century
 Meeitei Mayek

Contemporary

period of
derivation usage notes ISO Unicode
script derivation sample
15924 range

6th century U+0900–

Anga Lipi Brahmi Angika देवनागरी
BCE U+097F
Balinese U+1B00–
Balinese Old Kawi 11th century Bali
language U+1B7F
Tagalog,
other U+1700–
Baybayin Old Kawi 14th century Tglg ᜆᜄᜎᜓᜄ᜔
Philippine U+171F
languages
Buhid U+1740–
Buhid Old Kawi 14th century Buhd ᝊᝓᝑᝒ
language U+175F
Burmese
language,
numerous
modification
s for other
languages
including
Chakma,
U+1000– မြန်မာအက္ခရာ
Burmese Vatteluttu 11th century Eastern and Mymr
U+109F
Western Pwo
Karen, Geba
Karen,
Kayah, Mon,
Rumai
Palaung,
S'gaw Karen,
Shan
Cham U+AA00–
Cham Vatteluttu 8th century Cham
language U+AA5F
Numerous
Indo-Aryan
languages, U+0900–
Devanagari Nagari 13th century Deva देवनागरी
including U+097F
Sanskrit,
Hindi,
 Marathi,
Nepali, Bhili,
Konkani,
Angika,
Bhojpuri,
Magahi,
Maithili,
Kurukh,
Nepal Bhasa
and
sometimes
Sindhi and
Kashmiri.
Formerly
used to write
Gujarati.
Sometimes
used to write
or
transliterate
Sherpa
Bengali
language
(Bengali
script
Eastern variant), U+0980–
Nagari 11th century Beng বাংলা লিপি
Nagari Assamese U+09FF
language
(Assamese
script
variant)
Gujarati
language, U+0A80– ગુજરાતી લિપિ
Gujarati Nagari 17th century Gujr
Kutchi U+0AFF
language
Punjabi U+0A00–
Gurmukhi Sharada 16th century Guru ਗੁਰਮੁਖੀ
language U+0A7F
Hanuno'o U+1720–
Hanunó'o Old Kawi 14th century Hano
language U+173F
Javanese U+A980–
Javanese Old Kawi 16th century Java
language U+A9DF
Kannada
U+0C80– ಕನ್ನ ಡ ಅಕ್ಷರಮಾಲೆ
Kannada Kadamba 12th century language, Knda
U+0CFF
others
 U+1780–
Khmer U+17FF, អក្សរខ្មែរ
Khmer Vatteluttu 11th century Khmr
language U+19E0–
U+19FF
Lao
U+0E80–
Lao Khmer 14th century language, Laoo ອັກສອນລາວ
U+0EFF
others
Lepcha U+1C00–
Lepcha Tibetan 18th century Lepc
language U+1C4F
Limbu U+1900–
Limbu Lepcha 18th century Limb
language U+194F
Buginese
language,
others;
mostly U+1A00–
Lontara Old Kawi 17th century Bugi
extinct, U+1A1F
restricted to
ceremonial
use
Malayalam
language, U+0D00– മലയാളലിപി
Malayalam Grantha 12th century Mlym
Konkani U+0D7F
language
Oriya U+0B00–
Oriya Kalinga 12th century Orya ଓଡ଼ିଆ ଲିପି
language U+0B7F
Rejang
Rejang language, U+A930–
Old Kawi 18th century Rjng
script mostly U+A95F
obsolete
Saurashtra
language, U+A880–
Saurashtra Grantha 20th century Saur
mostly U+A8DF
obsolete
Sinhala U+0D80–
Sinhala Grantha 12th century Sinh ශුද්ධ සිංහල
language U+0DFF
Sundanese Sundanese U+1B80–
Old Kawi 14th century Sund
script language U+1BBF
Tai Lü U+1950–
Tai Le Tale
language U+197F
New Tai Tai Lü U+1980-
Tai Tham 1950s Talu
Lue language U+19DF
Tagbanwa Old Kawi 14th century various Tagb U+1760–
 languages of
Palawan,
U+177F
nearly
extinct
Tamil U+0B80– தமிழ் அரிச்சுவடி
Tamil Vatteluttu 8th century Taml
language U+0BFF
Old Telugu U+0C01– తెలుగు లిపి
Telugu 13th century Telu
Kannada language U+0C6F
Thai U+0E00–
Thai Khmer 13th century Thai อักษรไทย
language U+0E7F
Tibetan
language,
Dzongkha U+0F00– དབུ་ཅན་
Tibetan Siddham 8th century Tibt
language, U+0FFF
Ladakhi
language
Tai Dam U+AA80–
Tai Viet Tavt
language U+AADF

Graphical Timeline

Laxmi Puran
Balaram Das, a major poet of the Oriya Literature, considered as the senior most poet in the Age
of Panchasakha wrote Laxmi Purana in 15th century .[1]

] Synopsis of Laksmi Purana

In this Purana, once Goddess Laxmi had visited Shriya, a scavenger low caste woman , for which
Balaram, the elder brother of God Jagannath (Lord Vishnu) got angry with Laxmi and she was
turned out from Jagannath Temple of Srikhetra or Puri , the most sacred place and one of 4 place
of piligrimage (Dham) in Hindu religion.Laxmi leaves the temple and avenges the insult by
cursing her husband and elder brother-in-law to go through a prolonged ordeal without food,
water and shelter. The Puran raises voice against the evil practices of Untouchability in society.
It also stresses importance on Feminism and empower the female power to resist male
hegemony.

Premier of Feminist Movement

It is perhaps the first attempt in India towards Feminism .The Purana describes the social
structures and gender inequality persisting in the society.Its also a protest against male
hegemony.Laxmi was turned out from home by her husband .But it also gives a guideline for the
females to perform their duties and responsibilities honestly. This Purana starts a Feministic
Movement in Orissa India as a ritual form of Laxmi Puja or worship of Goddess Laxmi.

Popularity of Laxmi Purana

In Orissa , Laxmi Purana is considered as a sacred book in every household. In every corner of
Orissa and neighboring region of Orissa , in Chhatisgarh, Jharkhand, West Bengal and
srikakulam area of Andhra Pradesh, the ladies perform a special one month long Laxmi Puja in
the month of Margashirsha. This month is called Margashira or Agrahayan in Hindu
calendar .The Laxmi Puja (Mana osha) is celebrated weekly in every Thursday of that month and
mostly the females worship the Goddess Laxmi with all rituals.

Oriya literature
Oriya (ଓଡିଆ oṛiā) is an official language of the state of Orissa, India. The region has been
known at different stages of history as Kalinga, Udra, Utkala, or Koshala. The language is also
spoken by minority populations of the neighboring states of Jharkhand, West Bengal,
Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh. The earliest written texts in the language are about thousand
years old. Orissa was a vast empire in the ancient and medieval times, which extended from the
Ganges in the north to the Godavari in the south. During the British rule, however, Orissa lost its
political identity and formed parts of the Bengal and Madras Presidencies. The present state of
Orissa was formed in 1936.

Oriya is classified as a member of the Indo-Aryan language super family; it is a descendent of

Odri Prakrit and Ardha Magadhi. This form of Prakrit was in turn derived from Sanskrit via the
transitional Bibhasas. Modern Oriya vocabulary is estimated to be composed of 70% Sanskrit,
2% Hindustani/Persian/Arabic with the remaining 28% of mainly "Adivasi" origin.

The history of Oriya has been mapped by historians along five main stages: Old Oriya (spanning
the 10th century AD and 1300 AD), Early Middle Oriya (between 1300 AD and 1500 AD),
Middle Oriya (between 1500 AD and 1700 AD), Late Middle Oriya (between 1700 AD and 1850
AD) and Modern Oriya (spanning from 1850 AD till the present day). Further subdivisons of this
timeline, as below, can be considered a more accurate representation however.

] Age of Charya Literature

The beginnings of Oriya poetry coincide with the development of Charya Sahitya, the literature
started by Mahayana Buddhist poets.[1] This literature was written in a specific metaphor named
“Sandhya Bhasha” and the poets like Luipa, Kanhupa are from the territory of Orissa. The
language of Charya was considered to be Prakrita. In one of his poem, Kanhupa wrote:

"Your hut stands outside the city

Oh, untouchable maid

The bald Brahmin passes sneaking close by

Oh, my maid, I would make you my companion

Kanha is a kapali, a yogi

He is naked and has no disgust

There is a lotus with sixty-four petals

Upon that the maid will climb with this poor self and dance."

Here the image of the ‘untouchable maid’ is used for ‘shakti’, it resides outside the city, i.e.,
outside the ordinary consciousness. Although she is untouchable, the bald Brahmin, meaning the
so-called wise man, has a secret hankering for her. But only a kapali or an extreme Tantric can
be a fit companion for her, because he is also an outcast; he is naked, for he does not have any
social identity or artificiality. After the union with the shakti, both of them would climb on the
64-petalled lotus Sahasrara Chakra and dance there.

Evidently, the poet had drawn images and symbols from existing social milieu, social
psychology, so that this deep realization could be easily grasped by the readers. This kind of
poetry, full of the mystery of Tantra, spread over the Northeastern region of India from the tenth
to the fourteenth century, and its style of expression was revived by the Oriya poets of the
sixteenth to nineteenth centuries.

Age of Sarala Das

The first great poet of Orissa is the famous Sarala-Das, who wrote the Mahabharata. This was
not an exact translation from the Sanskrit original, but rather an imitation; for all practical
purposes, it can be seen as an original piece of work. It has since provided subsequent poets with
the necessary foundation for a national literature, providing a fairly accurate idea about the
culture of the Oriyas at the time. Sarala Das, belonging to 15th century Orissa of Kapilendra
Dev, was acclaimed as “Adikabi” or the first poet. He is also a Shudra Muni, or a seer from
backward class. He had no formal education and did not know Sanskrit. It is believed that he got
his poetic gift from the goddess Sarala (Sarasswati), and wrote Mahabharata as she dictated it.
Among many of his poems and epics, he is best remembered for his Mahabharata. Chandi
Purana and the Vilanka Ramayana are also two of his famous creations. Arjuna Das, a
contemporary of Sarala Dasa, wrote Rama-Bibha, a significant long poem in Oriya.

Age of Panchasakha
Five poets emerged towards the 16th century: Balaram Das, Jagannath Das, Achyutananda Das,
Ananta Das and Jasobanta Das. Although their dates of activity span one hundred years, they are
collectively known as "Panchasakhas", since they adhered to the same school of thought,
Utkaliya Vaishnavism. Balaram Das’s Jagamohan Ramayan provided the other pillar on which
subsequent literature was to thrive. His Laksmi Purana is considered to be the first manifesto of
Women’s Liberaion and Feminism in Indian Literature. However, the most influential work was
yet to come. It came in the form of Jagannath Das’s Bhagabata, which had a great influence
among Oriya people, as a day-to-day philosophical guide, and on Oriya Culture. The
Panchasakhas are very much Vaishnavas by thought. In 1509, Chaitanya came to Orissa with his
Vaishnava message of love. Before him, Jaydev had prepared the ground by heralding the cult of
Vaishnavism through his Geetagovinda. Chaitanya’s path of devotion was known as Raganuga
Bhakti Marga, but the Panchasakhas differed from Chaitanyas and believed in Gyana Mishra
Bhakti Marga, which has similarities with the Buddhist philosophy of Charya Literature stated
above.

The real PANCHA SAKHA - - - - Don't misguide people...... Pancha Sakha: Pandit Gopabandhu
Das Acharya HariHara Das Pandit Nilakantha Das Pandit Krupasindhu Mishra Pandit
Godabarish Das

Age of Upendra Bhanja

At the end of the age of Panchasakha, a few prominent works were written, including the
Usabhilasa of Sisu Sankara Das, the Rahasya-manjari of Deva-durlabha Dasa and the Rukmini-
bibha of Kartikka Das. A new form of novels in verse evolved during the beginning of the 17th
century when Ramachandra Pattanayaka wrote Haravali. These poets are the beginners of this
age. But the prominent poets are Dinakrushna Das, Kabi Samrat Upendra Bhanja and
Abhimanyu Samanta Simhar. Verbal jugglery, obscenity and eroticism as the characteristics of
Shringara Kavyas, became the trend of this period, in which Upendra Bhanja took a leading role.
His creations: Baidehisha Bilasa, Koti Brahmanda Sundari and Lavanyabati were a landmark in
Oriya Literature. Upendra Bhanja was conferred with the title 'Kabi Samrat' of Oriya literature
for his aesthetic poetic sense and skill in verbal jugglery. Dinakrushna Das’s Rasokallola and
Abhimanyu samanta Simhara’s Bidagdha Chintamani are prominent kavyas of this time. There
was a significant influence of these poets in making modern Oriya Literature. During the end of
Riti Yuga, or age of Upendra Bhanja, four major poets emerged and they created the History.
They are Kabi surya Baladeb Rath, Brajanath Badajena, Gopal Krushna Pattanaik and Bhima
Bhoi. Kabisurya Baladev rath wrote his poems in champu and chautisha, the new form and style
of poetry. But the significant role was played by Brajanath Badjena in starting a tradition of
prose fiction, though he was not considered as the premier writer of prose. His Chatur Binoda
(Amusement of Intelligent) seems to be the first to deal with different kinds of rasas, but
predominantly the bibhatsa rasa, often verging on nonsense.

later PANCHA SAKHAS WERE: PANDIT GOPABANDHU DAS, PUNDIT

NEELAKANTHA DAS, PUNDIT GODAVARISH MISHRA, ACHARYA HARIHAR DAS,
PUNDIT KRUPASINDHU. These pundits wrote a lot of prosr and poetry which became famous
in later years.

Age of Radhanath
The first Oriya printing typeset was cast in 1836 by the Christian missionaries, replacing palm
leaf inscription and in the process revolutionising Oriya literature. Books became printed, and
journals and periodicals published. The first Oriya Magazine of 'Bodha Dayini' was published
from Balasore in 1861. The main object of this magazine was to promote Oriya literature and to
draw attention to the lapses in government policy. The first Oriya paper, 'The Utkal Deepika,'
made its appearance in 1866 under the editorship of the late Gouri Sankar Ray with the help of
the late Bichitrananda. The Utkal Deepika continued a vigorous campaign for bringing together
all the Oriya-speaking areas under one administration, developing the Oriya language and
literature and protecting Oriya interests. In 1869 late Bhagavati Charan Das started 'Utkal
Subhakari' to propagate Brahmo faith. In the last three and a half decades of the 19th century, a
number of newspapers were published in Oriya. Prominent amongst them were 'Utkal
Deepika','Utkal Patra', Utkal Hiteisini from Cuttack, Utkal Darpan and Sambada Vahika' from
Balasore, Sambalpur Hiteisini (30 May 1889) from Deogarh. The publication of these papers
during the last part of the 19th century indicated the desire and the determination of the people of
Orissa to uphold the right of freedom of expression and the freedom of the press, with a the
ultimate aim of freedom from British rule. These periodicals performed another vital function, in
that they encouraged modern literature and offered a broad reading base for the writers; the
educated intellectuals who came in contact with the literature became influenced. Radhanath Ray
(1849–1908) is the prime figure, who tried to write his poems with the influence of Western
Literature. He wrote Chandrabhaga, Nandikeshwari, Usha, Mahajatra, Darbar and Chilika, which
were the long poems or 'Kavyas'.

Fakir Mohan Senapati

 Fakir Mohan Senapati

14 January 1843
Born
Balasore , British India

Died 14 June 1918 (aged 75)

Novelist ,Short Story Writer, poet, ,

Occupation
philosopher, Social Activist

Nationality British Indian

Period 19th century

Fakir Mohan Senapati (1843–1918), the prime figure of modern Oriya Fiction Prose is the
product of that generation. He was considered the Vyasakabi or founder poet of Oriya language.
Fakirmohan was born and brought up in the coastal town of Balasore. He grew up to be an
administrator in ex-feudatory states. Enraged by the attempts of the Bengalis to marginalize, or
even replace, the Oriya language by Bengali, he took to creative writing rather late. Though he
had translated from Sanskrit, wrote poetry, and attempted many forms of literature, he is now
known primarily as the father of modern Oriya prose fiction. If either Fakirmohan or his progeny
had preserved his short story, “Lachmania” which he had written in the late 1860s, and which
was published in the journal Bodhadayini, edited by himself in Balasore, Fakirmohan would
certainly been credited with having pioneered the genre in India; except for a bare mention in his
autobiography, the story cannot be traced, and thus his “Rebati” (1898) is widely recognized as
the first Oriya short story. “Rebati” is the story of a young innocent girl whose desire for
education is placed in the context of a conservative society in a backward Orissa village, which
is hit by the killer epidemic cholera. His other stories are “Patent Medicine”, “Dak Munshi”, and
”Adharma Bitta”. Other than short stories, Fakir Mohan Senapati is also known for his novel
Chha Maana Atha Guntha. It is the first Indian novel to deal with the exploitations of landless
peasants by the feudal lord. It was written much before the October revolution of Russia or much
before the emerging of Marxist ideas in India. Gangadhar Meher (1862–1924), Madhusudan
Rao, Chintamani Mahanty, Nanda Kishore Bal and Gaurisankar Ray are some of eminent writers
and poets of this time.

Age of Satyabadi

Utkalmani Gopabandhu Das

Creator of Satyabadi Age

Born 9 October 1877

Freedom Fighter , poet, Philosopher, Social

Occupation
Activist

Nationality British Indian

Period 20th century

Main article: Gopabandhu Das

During the Age of Radhanath, the literary world was divided between the ancient, headed by a
magazine The Indradhanu, and the modernists, headed by another magazine The Bijuli.
However, Gopabandhu was a great balancer, and realized that a nation, as well as its literature,
live by their tradition. He believed that a national superstructure of the present can endure only if
it is based upon the solid foundations of heritage. He also wrote a satirical poem in The
Indradhanu, which led to punishment from the 'Inspector of schools' for such material, although
he refused to apologise.
Later he joined Ravenshaw College, Cuttack to pursue graduation. He lost his father before
joining college. During this period he started Kartavya Bodhini Samiti (Duty Awakening
Society) to encourage his friends to take on social, economic & political problems in order to
make them responsible citizens. Whilst leading a team to serve flood victims, he heard that his
son was seriously ill. Gopabandhu preferred, however, to save the “sons of the soil” rather than
his son. This imbibed Swadeshi spirit in him; his new mission was to reform the society and to
develop education. Through these activities he had the vision of social service. When he was
only twenty-eight, he lost his wife. By that time he had already lost all of his three sons and left
his two daughters with his elder brother, along with the share of his property in the village. This
proved that he had no love for leading a family life and for that he refused to remarry, even at a
marriageable age. He was not an ordinary man and that is why he did not attach much
importance to worldly life. He is regarded as the Utkalmani in every Oriya’s mind and heart.

With the rise of freedom movements, a literary thought emerged with the influence of Gandhiji
and idealistic trend of Nationalism, forming as a new trend in Oriya Literature. Much respected
personality of Orissan culture and history, Utkalmani Gopabandhu Das (1877–1928) founded a
school at the village of Satyabadi near Sakshigopal of Orissa and an idealstic literary movement
influenced the writers of this age. No doubt, Gopabandhu Das was the famous figure of this
movement associated by other four writers like Godabarisha Mishra, Nilakantha Dash, Harihara
Acharya and Krupasinshu. They are also known as 'Panchasakhas' for their similarities with the
Age of Panchasakhas of tradition. The writers of this age are mostly critics, essayists and poets.
Godabarisha Mohapatra, Chintamani Das and Kuntala-Kumari Sabat are some of the renowned
names of this age. The contribution of Chintamani Das in enriching Satyabadi literature is
unparalleled. Born in 1903 in Sriramachandrapur village near Sakhigopal, Chintamani Das was
bestowed with the Sahitya Akademi Samman in 1970 for his invaluable contribution to Oriya
literature. Some of his well-known literary works are: 'Manishi Nilakantha', 'Bhala Manisa Hua',
'Usha', 'Barabati', 'Byasakabi Fakiramohan' and 'Kabi Godabarisha'.

Age of Marxism or Pragati Yuga

With the emergence of the Soviet Union in 1935, a Communist party was formed in Orissa and a
periodical named Adhunika was published by the party. Bhagawati Charan Panigrahi and
Sachidananda Routray were founding members, and were writers and poets for the party.
Bhagwati became a fiction writer and though Sachidananda Routray (who is also known as
"Sachi Routra" or Sachi Babu) wrote some short stories he is best remembered for his poems.
Sachi Babu is also considered to be the founder of Modern poetry in Orissa. He was the prime
figure to introduce two European trends of English modernism - the early aestheticist phase
pioneered by Pound and Eliot (1910–1930), and the second wave modernism of the 1930s poets
(Auden, Spender, MacNeice, Isherwood) to Oriya Literature through his poetry.

Age of Romanticism or Sabuja Yuga

Influenced by the romantic thoughts of Rabindranath tagore, during the thirties when the
progressive Marxian movements was in full flow in Oriya Literature, Kalindi Charan panigrahi,
the brother of Bhagabati Charan Panigrahi,the founder of Marxian Trend in Orissa, formed a
group circa 1920 called “Sabuja Samiti.” Along with two of his writer friend Annada Shankar
Ray and Baikuntha Patnaik. Perhaps it was the very short existed period in Oriya Literature and
later submerged with either Gandhian thoughts or Marxian thoughts. Later Kalindi Charan
Panigrahi wrote his famous novel Matira Manish, being influenced by Gandhism. Annada
Shankar Ray flew away to Bengali Literature. Mayadhar Mansingh was a renowned poet of that
time though he was considered as a romantic poet, but he kept the distance away from the
influence of Rabindranath successfully.

PURNACHANDRA ORIYA BHASHAKOSHA

The Purnachandra Odia Bhashakosha is a monumental 7 volume work of about 9,500 pages
published between 1930 and 1940. It was a result of the vision and dedicated work over nearly
three decades of Gopal Chandra Praharaj (1874–1945). Praharaj not only conceived and
compiled the lexicon, he also raised the finances for its printing by pains-taking collection of
public donations, grants and subscriptions. He also supervised the printing and the sales of the
published work.Briefly, the Purnachandra Odia Bhashakosha is an Oriya language lexicon listing
some 1,85,000 words and their meanings in four languages - Oriya, English, Hindi and Bengali.
In addition, it is replete with quotations from wide ranging classical works illustrating the special
usage of various words. It also contains much specialised information like the botanical names of
many local plants, information on asterisms and constellations and also includes many long
articles on various topics as well as biographies of personalities connected with Orissa’s history
and culture. On the whole, it is an encyclopedic work touching upon various aspects of Oriya
language and Orissa and upon many topics of general interest.Like all major historical works, the
making of the Bhashakosha is a fascinating story full of dream and dedication, sweat and tears.
The story of its maker Praharaj, a lawyer by profession, is equally so - it starts with a delinquent
(almost decadent) youth and ends with a tinge of blood (he met with an untimely and unnatural
death), with achievements and heartburns in between.The post-production story of Bhashakosha
is more bathed in tears. Ridiculed and reviled by many during the production itself, a good
fraction of the printed copies were destroyed unbound and unsold. Many copies were still
available in the libraries of the princes who had patronised the work and most of these copies
were pawned away unredeemably or sold off cheaply when bad days invariably visited the
owners.The copies surviving today are rare and are in rather fragile and worm-damaged state.
While the older generation holds the work in high regard and reverence, the present generation is
hardly aware of its existence and knows even less about its contents. Interested language-loving
individuals or researchers can only dream of having a personal copy.

Post Colonial Age

Poetry

As the successor of Sachi babu, two poets Guruprasad Mohanty (popularly known as Guru
Prasad) (1924–2004) and Bhanuji Rao were highly influenced by T.S. Eliot and published their
co authored poetry book “Nutan Kabita” with a preface of Professor. Jatindra Mohan Mohanty.
Thus the waste land of T.S. Eliot created a great effect on the post independent Oriya poets.
Later, Ramakanta Rath modified the ideas. According to him : ‘After the publication of
Kalapurusha (Guru Prasad’s poetry collection influenced by T.S. Elliot’s The Waste Land) we
realized that a sense of alienation is the main ingredient of modern poetry.’ Before independence
of India, the Oriya poetry was mostly Sanskritic, or "literary" idiom; but after independence of
India, one could notice the free use of western concepts, idioms, images and also adaption of
their myths. Ramakanta Rath, Sitakant Mahapatra, Soubhagya Kumar Mishra, Rajendra kishore
Panda, Mamata Dash and Pratibha Satpathy are the famous poets in this trend.

Fiction

Before '70s

In the post-independence Era Oriya fiction assumed a new direction. The trend which Fakir
Mohan has started actually developed more after '50s of last century. Gopinath Mohanty (1914–
1991), Surendra Mohanty and Manoj Das (1934- ) are considered as three jewels of this time.
They are the pioneer of a new trend, that of developing or projecting the “individual as
protagonist” in Oriya fiction. Eminent Feminist writer and critics Sarojini Sahoo believes that it
was not Gopinath, but Surendra Mohanty whose “Ruti O Chandra” has to be considered as first
story of individualistic approach rather than the story “Dan” by Gopinth, which was formerly
known as the first story of “individualistic attitude”.[2] The major difference between Surendra
and Gopinath is that, when Gopinath is more optimistic, Surendra seems to be nihilistic. This
nihilism prepares the ground for the development of “existentialist” movement of Oriya
literature.

Surendra Mohanty has a mastery over language, theme and concept. Some of his famous short
story collections and novels are: Krushna Chuda, Mahanagarira Rati, ruti o Chandra, Maralara
Mrutyu, Shesha Kabita, Dura Simanta, Oh Calcutta, Kabi-O- Nartaki, Sabuja Patra-O- Dhusara
Golap, Nila Shaila, Andha Diganta, which bear the memorial of his success as a reputed story
writer and novelist.

In his fiction Gopinath Mohanty explores all aspects of Orissan life: life, both in the plains and in
the hills. He evolves a unique prose style, lyrical in style, choosing worlds and phrases from the
day-to-day speech of ordinary men and women. Gopinath’s first novel, Mana Gahtra Chasa, was
published in 1940, which was followed by Dadi Budha (1944), Paraja (1945) and Amrutara
Santan (1947). He published 24 novels, 10 collections of short stories in addition to three plays,
two biographies, two volumes of critical essays, and five books on the languages of Kandh,
Gadaba and Saora tribes. Moreover, he translated Tolstoy’s War and Peace (Yuddh O Shanti) in
three volumes (tr. 1985-86) and Togore’s Jogajog (tr. 1965) into Oriya.

Started his literary career as a communist and later transformed himself to Aurobindian
philosopher, Manoj Das proved himself as a successful bilingual writer as he used to write both
in Oriya and English. His major works are:Shesha basantara chithi, 1966; Manoj Dasanka katha
o kahani, 1971; Dhumabha diganta, 1971; Manojpancabimsati, 1977; (short stories); Tuma gam
o anyanya kabita, 1992 (poetry). His notable English works include: The crocodiles lady : a
collection of stories, 1975, The submerged valley and other stories, Farewell to a ghost : short
stories and a novelette, 1994; Cyclones, 1987, and A tiger at twilight, 1991.
The other significant fiction writers are Chandrasekhar Rath, Shantanu Acharya, Mohapatra
Nilamani Sahoo, Rabi Patnaik and JP Das. Chandra Sekhar Rath's novel Jantrarudha (Astride the
Wheel :translated by Jatindra Kumar Nayak) is one of the renowned classic of this period.
Shantanu acharya’s novel Nara-Kinnara also have its significant effect.

After '70s

The Revolution of '70s in Oriya fiction

The trend started by the writers of '50s and the so called popular writers of 60s, were challenged
by the young writers in '70s. But the process of rebellion started from 60s. In the 60s, a little
magazine Uan Neo Lu was published from Cuttack. The title of the magazine was made up of
three of the Oriya alphabets, which were not in use. The writers associated with the magazines
were: Annada Prasad Ray (not Annada sankar Ray), Guru Mohanty (not Guru Prasad of Kala
Purusha fame), Kailash Lenka and Akshyay Mohanty. These writers may not have become as
famous as some of their contemporaries. But they started a revolution in the text and styles of
Oriya fiction. They tried to break the monopoly of so called established writer. They brought
sexuality into the puview of current literature and they created a new style in prose. In the late
'60s the dominance of Cuttack in the field of Oriya Literature had broken when many “groups”
of writers emerged from different parts of Orissa. Anamas from Puri, Abadhutas from Balugaon,
Panchamukhi from Balangir, and Abujha from Berhampur and Akshara group from Sambalpur
created a sensations in Oriya literary scene. Historically it does not matter the question of how
many of these writers did not “make the grade,” but the collective effort to break a tradition
proved to be decisive in some ways.

But the actual formidable changes were confirmed by the writers of later period. Jagadish
Mohanty, Kanheilal Das, Satya Mishra, Ramchandra Behera, Padmaja Pal, Yashodhara mishra
and Sarojini Sahoo are few writers whose writings have created a new age in the field of fiction.
Kanheilal Das and Jagadish Mohanty have started to create a new form of style and language,
which was popular among the general readers as well as the intellectuals. But Kanhei lal Das was
a short lived personality and his sudden demised still considered as a great loss for Oriya
Fictions.

Jagadish Mohanty is considered as the introducer of existentialism and also as the trend setter in
Oriya literature. Ekaki ashwarohi, Dakshina Duari Ghara, Album, Dipahara Dekhinathiba
Lokotie, Nian o anyanya galpo, Mephestophelesera Pruthibi are some of his famous short story
collections and Nija Nija Panipatha, Kanishka Kanishka, Uttaradhikar and Adrushya Sakal are
some of his memorable novels which make him most renowned.

Dwitiya Shmashana, Abashishta Ayusha, Omkara Dhwani, Bhagnangshara Swapna, Achinha

Pruthibi are some of the most famous short story collection of Ramchandra Behera.

Padmaj Pal is known for his short story collections such as Eaglera Nakha Danta, Sabuthu
Sundar Pakshi, Jibanamaya and Uttara Purusha.
Sarojini Sahoo, another prominent writer, later famed for her idea of feminism also made a
significant approach to Oriya fiction.Her novel Gambhiri Ghara is proved as a landmark among
Oriya novel and has gained international fame for her feministic and liberal ideas. Amrutara
Pratikshare, Chowkatha, Upanibesh, Pratibandi, Paksibasa, Tarlijauthiba Durga, Dukha Apramita
are some of her short story collections and Upanibesh, Pratibandi, Gambhiri Ghara, Pakshibasa,
Mahajatra are her novels which have a significant effect in the Oriya Literature.

Popular fiction writings

Parallel to aesthaticism in literature, a parallel trend of populist literature also appeared after '60s
which was accepted by half literate rural people, especially by the female folk. Bhagirathi Das,
Kanduri Das, Bhagwana Das, Bibhuti Patnaik and Pratibha Ray are some of the best selling
writer of Oriya Literature, among them Bibhuti Patnaik and Pratibha Ray have some sense of
literary aesthetics. Badhu Nirupama, Gare Kajjala Dhare Luha, Topaye Sindura Dipata Shankha
and Chapala Chhanda are some of popular novels of Bibhuti Patnaik.

Barsha Baishakha Basanta, Aparichita, Nishiddha Pruthibi, Upanayika and Jangyaseni are some
of popular novels of Pratibha Ray. Jangyaseni proved itself different from Pratibha's other novel
and has gained literary reputation. These writers able to attract the commercial producers to
celluloid their stories in commercial Oriya movies.

Women's writings and feminism

The starting of a women's magazine called Sucharita in 1975 went a long way in helping women
writers find a voice. In fact its appearance proved to be the turning point. The role of Sucharita in
helping the emergence of women’s writing as a strong body of work can hardly be
overestimated.[citation needed] Some female writers like Jayanti Ratha, Susmita Bagchi. Paramita
Satpathy, Hiranmayee Mishra, Chirashree Indra Singh, Sairindhree Sahoo, Supriya Panda,
Gayatri Saraf., Mamata Chowdhry are a few fiction writers in this period, but among all the
women writers Sarojini Sahoo played a significant role for her feministic and sexuality approach
in fiction. For feminism she is considered as the Simone de Beauvoir of India, though
theoretically she denies the Hegelian theory of “Other” developed by Simone in her The Second
Sex. Unlike to Simone, Sarojini claims the women are “Other” from masculine perspective but
as a human being, she demands for similar rights as Plato recommended.

Drama
In the field of drama, the traditional Oriya theatre is the folk opera, or Jatra, which flourishes in
the rural areas of Orissa. Modern theatre is no longer commercially viable. But in the 1960,
experimental theatre made a mark through the works of Manoranjan Das, who pioneered the new
theatre movement with his brand of experimentalism. Bijay Mishra, Biswajit Das, Kartik Rath,
Ramesh Prasad Panigrahi, Prof. Pramod Kumar Tripathy, Ratnakar Chaini, Ranjit Patnaik, Prof.
Purna Chandra Mallick continued the tradition. Prof. Tripathy's contribution to the growth and
development of the immensely popular and thought-provoking lok natakas is universally
recognised and he is often called the Rousseau of lok natakas.[citation needed] Though commercially
modern theatre movement is a failure one still it is existing through different amateur theatre
units and by different drama competition but unlike these modern theatre the commercialized
operas have their economical success.

Jagannath Temple, Delhi

The Jagannath Temple in Delhi

The Jagannath Temple in New Delhi, India is a modern temple built by the Oriya community
of Delhi dedicated to the Hindu God Jagannath. The temple located in Green Park is famous for
its annual Rathyatra festival.

The Jagannath Temple kitchen offers prasad every day to all its devotees. It also serves as a congregation
place for the oriya community people in Delhi.IF you like to advance booking for prasad and room then
please call on +(91)-(11)-26966978, 26868488 , Address: C-Blk , Sufderganj Deplopment Area, Bhagwan
Jagannath Mg , Hauz Khas Vill- Rd, Hauz Khas, Delhi - 110016

A J J cont.
 Ananta Vasudeva  Jagannath Temple,  Jagannath Temple,
Temple Delhi Sialkot
 Jagannath Temple,  Jagannath
C Koraput Temple,Hyderabad

 Chhatia Batta  Jagannath Temple,  Jagannath

 Comilla Jagannath Pabna Temple,Nayagarh
Temple  Jagannath Temple, Puri
S
D  Jagannath Temple,
Ranchi  Shri Jagannath Puri
 Dhamrai Jagannath Temple
Rath
  Patali Srikhetra
G

 Gundicha Temple

Orissa

Odisha
ଓଡିଶା

—  state  —

Seal
From Top The Jagannath,Subhadra and Balabhadra in famous Patachitra paintings,

The white tigers in Nandankanan, statue of Buddha in Bhubaneswar, Sun Temple

Wheel in Konark, the famous Rath Yatra and Odissi dancers in front of Konark Sun

Temple.
 Location of Odisha

20.15°N 85.50°E20.15°N
Coordinates 85.5°ECoordinates: 20.15°N
85.50°E20.15°N 85.5°E

Country  India

District(s) 30

Established 1 April 1936

Capital Bhubaneswar

Largest city Cuttack

Governor Murlidhar Chandrakant Bhandare

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik

Legislature (seats) Unicameral (147)

Population 40,706,920 (11th)

• Density • 261 /km2 (676 /sq mi)

HDI (2005)
0.452 (low) (27th)

Literacy 68.8% (19th)

Official languages Odia

 Time zone IST (UTC+5:30)

Area 155820 km2 (60162 sq mi)

Website www.orissa.gov.in

Odisha (Oriya: ଓଡିଶା), previously known as Orissa (Oriya: ଓଡି଼ଶା), is a state of India, located on
the east coast of India, by the Bay of Bengal. It is the modern name of the ancient nation of
Kalinga, which was invaded by the Maurya Emperor Ashoka in 261 BC. The modern state of
Odisha was established on 1 April 1936 at Kanika Palace, Cuttack, as a province in India,[1] and
consists predominantly of Odia speakers.[2] 1 April is therefore celebrated as Utkal Divas (Odisha
Day).

Odisha is the ninth largest state by area in India, and the eleventh largest by population. Odia is
the official and most widely spoken language with 93.33% Odia speakers according to Linguistic
survey.Odisha has a relatively unindented coastline[3] (about 480 km long[4]) and lacks good
ports,[3] except for the deepwater facility at Paradip. The narrow, level coastal strip, including the
Mahanadi River delta supports the bulk of the population.[5] The interior of the state is
mountainous and sparsely populated.[5] Deomali at 1672 m is the highest point of the state.

Odisha is subject to intense cyclones. The most intense one, in October 1999, Tropical Cyclone
05B caused severe damage and some 10,000 deaths.

Odisha is home to the Hirakud Dam,near Sambalpur the longest earthen dam in the world.[6][7]
Odisha has several popular tourist destinations. Puri, Konark & Bhubaneswar are known as
Golden triangle of eastern India. Puri, with the Jagannath temple near the sea (famous for Rath
Yatra or the Car Festival), and Konark, with the Sun Temple, are visited by thousands of tourists
every year. The Jagannath Temple of Puri, the Sun Temple of Konark, the Lingaraja Temple,
Khandagiri,Udaygiri, Dhauligiri of Bhubaneshwar, Ashoka's famous Rock Edict at Jaugada near
Berhampur city and the Barabati Fort of Cuttack are important in the archaeological history of
India.

] History

Hatigumpha Inscription of King Kharavel, Udaygiri

View of the banks of the Daya river from atop Dhauli hills, the presumed venue of the Kalinga
war.

Konark Sun Temple built by the Eastern Ganga dynasty is one of the most well renowned
temples in India and is a World Heritage Site.

Origin of the name of the State

Orissa was renamed as Odisha and Oriya language as renamed as Odiya on November 9, 2010[8]
by Parliament of India. The name Odisha is derived from the Sanskrit Odra Vishaya or Odra
Desa. Both Pali and Sanskrit Literatures mention the Odra people as Oddaka and Odrah,
respectively. Greek writers like Pliny and Ptolemy described the Odra people as Oretes. In the
Mahabharata the Odras are mentioned along with the Paundras, Utkals, Mekalas, Kalingas and
Andhras, while according to Manu the Odras are associated with the Paundrakas, Dravidas,
Kambojas, Yavanas, Sakas, Paradas, Pallhavas, Chinas, Kiratas and Khasas. The location of the
Odra territory has been given in the Natural History of Pliny in which it is mentioned that the
Oretes were inhabiting the country where stood the Mount Maleus. The Greek Oretes is probably
the Sanskrit Odra and the Mount Maleus has been identified with Malayagiri near Pala Lahara.
Pliny associates the Mount Maleus with the people called Monedes and Sharis who were
probably the same as the Mundas and the Savaras respectively inhabiting the upland regions of
Orissa.
The Chinese pilgrim Hiuen-Tsang who visited Orissa in about 636 A.D. gives an account of the
territory named Wu-Che which is very likely the same as Odra. The pilgrim states that the Wu-
Cha (Wu-tu) country was above 7,000 li in circuit and its capital was above 20 li in circuit. The
area of the territory, which was 7,000 li or (2,253 km) in circuit, was very extensive. General
Cunningham who calls this territory as Odra or Odra Desa writes as follows:

“The ancient province of Odra desa or Or-desa was limited to the valley of the Mahanadi and to
the lower course of the Subarnarekha river. It comprised the whole of the present districts of
Cuttack and Sambalpur and a portion of Midnapore. It was bounded on the West by Gondwana,
on the North by the wild hill states of Jashpur and Singhbhum, on the East by the sea and on the
South by Ganjam. These also must have been the limits in the time of Hiuen-Tsang as the
measured circuit agrees with his estimate”. The Muslim geographer lbn Khurdadhbin who wrote
his geography in 846 AD refers to a territory called Ursfin which is identified by the Russian
scholar V. Minorsky with Odra Desa. In another Persian geography called Hudad-al Alam
written towards the close of the 10 th century A.D. mention has been made of a territory called
Urshin (Odra Desa) which has been associated with the territories called N. Myas, Harkand,
Smnder and Andhras which were more or less contiguous. The territory called N.Myas may be
Mahismati and Harkand is suggested to be Akarakhand (eastern Malwa). Urshin may be the
same as Odra Desa and Smnder may be the territory bordering the sea. Andhras is without doubt
the same as Andhra Desa. Alberuni has referred to a territory called Udra Vishau located 50
forsakhs towards the sea in the south from the Tree of Prayaga. Fifty forsakhs is equal to about
200 miles or 321.86 km. So Udra Vishau may be the same as Odra Desa.

In the mediaeval Muslim chronicles like Tabaquat-I-Nasiri, Tabaquat-I-Akbari, Riyadus-Salatin,

Tarkh-I-Firuzsahi, etc., the Odra territory has been referred to as Jajnagar probably after the
capital Yayatinagar or Jajatinagar. The territory of Jajnagar very probably denotes to the Ganga
empire during the period from Chodagangadeva to Anangabhimdeva III when Jajatinagar
(modern Jagati on the Mahanadi) was the capital of that empire. It was Anangabhimadeva III
who transferred the capital from Jajatinagar to Baranasi Kataka. And even after the change of
capital some Muslim chroniclers continued to call this territory as Jajnagar. Shams-I-Seraj-Afif
called this territory as Jajnagar-Udisa with its capital city Banaras on the right bank of the
Mahanadi. The word ‘Udisa’ added to Jajnagar appears very significant. It is a developed form
of the word Ursfin or Urshin used by earlier Muslim writers of the 9 th and 10 th centuries A.D.
In Buddhist literature this word is expressed as Odivisa or Udivisa as found in the works of
Lama Taranath and the author of Pag-Sam-Jon-Zang. In the Tantric literature of the mediaeval
period the word Udisa has been frequently used and in Tantrasara, Jagannath has been referred to
as Udisanatha. Poet Sarala Das mentions both the words Odra Rastra and Odisa in his famous
treatise Mahabharata while Gajapati Kapileswaradeva (1435 – 1467 AD) in his proclamation
inscribed on the temple walls of Jagannath calls his territory as Odisha Rajya or Odisha Rastra.
Thus from the 15 th century AD onward the land of the Oriya people was called
Udisa,Odisha,Orissa.

Odisha in pre-historic age

Pre-historic painting from Gudahandi, Kalahandi

Since prehistoric days the land of Odisha has been inhabited by various people. The earliest
settlers of Odisha were primitive hill tribes. Although prehistoric communities cannot be
identified, it is well known that Orissa had been inhabited by tribes like Saora or Sabar from the
Mahabharata days. Saora in the hills and the Sahara and Sabar of the plains continue to be an
important tribe distributed almost all over Orissa. Most of the tribal people have been influenced
by Hindus and have adopted Hindu manners, customs and rituals. Bonda Parajas of Koraput
district are the best example of these tribes.

Several Pre-historic sites have been excavated in Orissa since the arrival of Britishers.Kaliakata
of Angul,Kuchai & Kuliana of Mayurbhanj,Vikramkhol near Jharsuguda,Gudahandi and
Yogimath of Kalahandi,Ushakothi of Sambalpur,Similikhol near Bargarh etc.

History of Ancient Odisha

Odisha has a history spanning a period of over 3,500 years. Before Kalinga it was named as Udra
or "Odra Desa. The Ancient Odra desa or Ordesa was limited to the valley of Mahanadi and to
the lower course of Subarnarekha River. It comprised the whole of the present districts of
Cuttack and Sambalpur and a portion of Midnapur. Bounded on the west by Gondwana, on the
north by the wild hill states of Jaspur and Singhbhum, on the east by the sea and on the South by
Ganjam, Orissa has a legendary history. [9] The history of Odisha is in many ways atypical from
that of the northern plains, and many of the common generalizations that are made about Indian
history do not seem to apply to the Odia region.[citation needed] The name Odia originated from Odra
or Udra tribes that inhabited the central coastal belt (Khordha District and Nayagarh District ) of
modern Odisha. Odisha has also been the home of the Kalinga, Utkal, Mahakantara/Kantara and
Kosal that played a particularly prominent role in the region's history, and one of the earliest
references to the ancient Kalingas appears in the writings of Vedic chroniclers.[citation needed] In the
6th century BC, Vedic Sutrakara Baudhayana mentions Kalinga as being beyond the Vedic fold,
indicating that Brahminical influences had not yet touched the land.[citation needed] Unlike some other
parts of India, tribal customs and traditions played a significant role in shaping political
structures and cultural practices right up to the 15th century,[citation needed] when Brahminical
influences triumphed over competing traditions and caste differentiation began to inhibit social
mobility and erode what had survived of the ancient republican tradition.[citation needed]

A major turning point in world history took place in Odisha.[citation needed] The Kalinga War that led
emperor Ashoka to embrace non-violence and the teachings of Buddha was fought here in
261 BC. Ashoka's military campaign against Kalinga was one of the bloodiest in Mauryan
history on account of the fearless and heroic resistance offered by the Kalingas to the mighty
armies of the expanding Mauryan empire. Perhaps on account of their unexpected bravery,
emperor Ashoka was compelled to issue two edicts specifically calling for a just and benign
administration in Kalinga. Later on, Ashoka was instrumental in spreading Buddhist philosophy
all over Asia. However, Ativ Land (South Western Orissa) was unconquered by Ashoka.

Tel river civilization put light towards a great civilization existing in Kalahandi, Balangir,
Koraput (KBK) region in the past that is recently getting explored.[10] The discovered
archaeological wealth of Tel Valley suggest a well civilized, urbanized, cultured people
inhabited on this land mass around 2000 years ago[11] and Asurgarh was its capital. Kalahandi
along with Koraput and Bastar was part of Kantara referred in Ramayana and Mahabharata [12].
In 4th century B.C. this region was known as Indravana from where precious gem-stones and
diamond were collected for the imperial Maurya treasury.[13] During the period of Maurya
emperor Ashok, Kalahandi along with Koraput and Bastar region was called Atavi Land.[14] This
land was unconquered as per Ashokan record.[15] In the beginning of Chrisitan era probably it
was known as Mahavana[16]. In 4th Century A.D. Vyaghraraja was ruling over Mahakantara
comprising Kalahandi, undivided Koraput and Bastar region.[17] Asurgarh was capital of
Mahakantara.[18]

On the other hand in the third century BC, in the eastern part of Odisha Kalinga flourished as a
powerful kingdom under the Jaina king, Kharavela.[19] He ruled all the way down south to
include parts of the Tamil country. He built the superb monastic caves at Udayagiri and
Khandagiri. Subsequently, the kingdom was ruled under various monarchs, such as
Samudragupta and Sasanka. It also was a part of Harsha's empire. In 795 AD, the king Yayati
Kesari I of Kesari or Soma dynasty of Kosala united Kosala and Utkala into a single empire. He
is also supposed to have built the first Jagannath Temple at Puri,[citation needed] although the current
structure of the temple is entirely different and was built by Kings Choda Gangadeva and
Ananga Bhimadeva of the Eastern Ganga Dynasty in the 12th century. The famous Lingaraja
temple in Bhubaneshwar was started by Keshari dynasty king Yayati Keshari III and completed
by his son Lalatendu Keshari in the 10th century. King Narasimha Dev is reputed to have built
the magnificent Sun Temple at Konark. Although now largely in ruins, the temple may have
once rivaled the Taj Mahal in splendour.

The Mughals conquered Coastal Odisha in 1576.[citation needed] The last Hindu Emperor of Odisha,
Gajapati Mukunda Deva, was defeated and was killed in the battle of Gohiratikiri. The coastal
plain of Odisha from Medinipur to Rajahmundry came under Mughal rule, which was broadly
divided into six parts as Jaleswar Sarkar, Bhadrak Sarkar, Cuttack Sarkar, Chicacole
(Srikakulam) Sarkar, Kalinga Dandapat and Rajamundry Sarkar or Godavari Province. Odisha's
Central, Northern, Western and Southern hilly areas were ruled independently by Hindu kings.
The Nizam of Hyderabad occupied the area between Rajahmundry to Srikakulam in 16th
century.Medinipur was attached to Muslim Bengal province in 18th century.The remaining parts
of Coastal Odisha, were subsequently ceded to the Marathas in 1751.

The British occupied the Northern Circars comprising the southern coast of Odisha as a result of
the Carnatic Wars in the early 1760s and incorporated them into the Madras Presidency
gradually.[citation needed] In 1803, the British under the British East India Company annexed the
Maratha province of Odisha after the Second Anglo-Maratha War. The northern and western
districts of Odisha were incorporated into Bengal Presidency. Following famine and floods in
1866, large scale irrigation projects were undertaken in the last half of the 19th century. The
coastal section was separated from Bengal and made into the Province of Bihar and Orissa in
1912, in response to local agitation for a separate state for the Odia-speaking people. In 1936,
Bihar and Odisha were split into separate provinces. Thus after a long period of struggle the Odia
people got re-united after centuries of political separation. On 1 April 1936, the new province of
Odisha came into existence on linguistic basis during the British rule in India with Sir Jhon
Austin Hubbak as the first Governor. A long cherished dream of Odia people and their leaders
like Madhusudan Das, Maharaja Krushna Chnadra Gajapati, Pandit Nilakantha Das,
Bhubanananda Das and many other came true. The district of Ganjam was transferred from
Madras Presidency to the new province of Orissa on 1 April 1936 . From that time onwards
people of Odisha celebrate the day 1 April as Utkal Divas or Orissa Day.

Following Indian independence, the area of Orissa was almost doubled and the population was
increased by a third by the addition of 24 former princely states. In 1950, Orissa became a
constituent state in the Union of India.

Further information: History of Orissa, History of Kalahandi, and Historic sites in Orissa

Sub-divisions
Main article: List of districts of Odisha

Huma The Leaning Temple

[20]
There are 30 districts in Odisha—Angul, Boudh, Bhadrak, Bolangir, Bargarh, Balasore,
Cuttack(Kataka), Debagarh, Dhenkanal, Ganjam, Gajapati, Jharsuguda, Jajapur, Jagatsinghpur,
Khordha, Keonjhar, Kalahandi, Kandhamal, Koraput, Kendrapara, Malkangiri, Mayurbhanj,
Nabarangpur, Nuapada, Nayagarh, Puri, Rayagada, Sambalpur, Subarnapur, Sundargarh. Each
district is governed by a district collector or district magistrate, appointed either by the Indian
Administrative Service or the Odisha Administrative Service. Each district is subdivided into
Sub-Divisions, governed by a sub-divisional magistrate, and again into Blocks. Blocks consists
of panchayats (village councils) and town municipalities.

The capital and largest city of the state is Bhubaneshwar and its another name is temple city.
Other major cities in Odisha are Cuttack, Berhampur, Rourkela, Sambalpur, Bhadrak, Jajpur,
Balasore & Puri.

Geography

Map of lake Chilka with near-by settlement of Puri.

Mahanadi River

Bhubaneshwar is the capital of Odisha. It is famed for its magnificent temples, numbering
around a thousand. Cuttack, the former capital of Odisha, is 22 km from Bhubaneshwar. With
the rapid expansion of two cities and better road connectivity, the two cities are now almost
conjoined and considered as twin cities. The city of Puri is about 60 kilometers from
Bhubaneshwar and lies on the coast of the Bay of Bengal. Puri is considered a holy city and the
abode of the deity Lord Jagannath. It is one of the Char Dhams (Four holy places) of Hinduism.
The world-famous "car festival" (rath yatra) is celebrated every year in the Hindu month of
Ashadha (Mid June to Mid July) in Puri.
The Chota Nagpur plateau occupies the western and northern portions of the state, while along
the coast are fertile alluvial plains and the valleys of the Mahanadi, Brahmani, and Baitarani
rivers, which fall into the Bay of Bengal. These alluvial plains are home to intensive rice
cultivation. The Central Rice Research Institute (CRRI),Asia's largest rice research Institute is
situated along the bank of Mahanadi in Cuttack. One of the major nesting ground for the Olive
Ridley sea turtles can be found in the Beaches of Odisha; in Devi, Gahirmatha and Rushikulya,
which are known to be the nesting sites for the L. olivacea Indian Ocean population. In 2007,
around 130,000 turtles nested on the beaches of Gahirmatha. The shore line also acts as their
mating site and have attracted various scientific communities for research and studies.

Although most of Odisha's forest cover has been denuded lately, one of the greatest attractions of
Odisha is its still vast expanses of unspoiled natural landscape that offer a protected yet natural
habitat to the state’s incredible wildlife. There are many wildlife sanctuaries in Odisha. The
Simlipal National Park Tiger Reserve is a huge expanse of lush green forest with waterfalls,
inhabited by tigers, elephants, and other wildlife. The Bhitarkanika Wildlife Sanctuary has been
protecting estuarine crocodiles since 1975.

Chilka Lake, a brackish water coastal lake on the Bay of Bengal, south of the mouth of the
Mahanadi River, is the largest coastal lake in India and the second largest in the world.It is the
largest wintering ground for migratory birds on the Indian sub-continent. It is protected by the
Chilka Lake Bird Sanctuary, which harbors over 160 migratory and resident species of birds.
Birds from as far as the Caspian Sea, Lake Baikal, Aral Sea and other remote parts of Russia,
Kirghiz steppes of Mongolia, Central and southeast Asia, Ladakh and Himalayas come here. It
also has the small area of Satpada which is a safe sanctuary for the lesser known and endangered
Irrawaddy Dolphins.

The highest mountain peak in the state is Deomali (1672 m), which is situated in Koraput district
in southern Odisha. It is also the tallest peak of the Eastern Ghats. It is part of the Chandragiri-
Pottangi mountain system. Location: 18°40'3"N 82°58'59"E (Deomali on Wikimapia).

Physiography

On the basis of homogeneity, continuity and physiographical characteristics, Odisha has been
divided into five major morphological regions : 1) the Odisha Coastal Plain in the east, 2) the
Middle Mountainous and Highlands Region, 3) the Central plateaus, 4) the western rolling
uplands and 5) the major flood plains.

The Odisha Coastal Plains

The Odisha Coastal Plains are the depositional landforms of recent origin and geologically
belong to the Post-Tertiary Period. The 75 metre contourline delimits their western boundary and
differentiates them from the Middle Mountainous Region. This region stretches from the West
Bengal border, i.e. from the River Subarnarekha in the north to the River Rushikulya in the
south.
This region is the combination of several deltas of varied sizes and shapes formed by the major
rivers of Odisha, such as the Subarnarekha, the Budhabalanga, the Baitarani, the Brahmani, the
Mahanadi, and the Rushikulya. Therefore, the coastal plain of Odisha is called the "Hexadeltaic
region" or the "Gift of Six Rivers". It stretches along the coast of the Bay of Bengal having the
maximum width in the Middle Coastal Plain (the Mahanadi Delta), narrow in the Northern
Coastal Plain (Balasore Plain) and narrowest in the Southern Coastal Plain ( Ganjam Plain). The
North Coastal Plain comprises the deltas of the Subarnarekha and the Budhabalanga rivers and
bears evidences of marine transgressions. The Middle Coastal Plain comprises the compound
deltas of the Baitarani, Brahmani and Mahanadi rivers and bears evidences of past 'back bays'
and present lakes. The South Coastal Plain comprises the laccustrine plain of Chilika lake and
the smaller delta of the Rushikulya River.

The Middle Mountainous and Highlands Region

The region covers about three-fourth of the entire State. Geologically it is a part of the Indian
Peninsula which as a part of the ancient landmass of the Gondwanaland. The major rivers of
Odisha with their tributaries have cut deep and narrow valleys. This region mostly comprises the
hills and mountains of the Eastern Ghats which rise abruptly and steeply in the east and slope
gently to a dissected plateau in the west running from north-west (Mayurbhanj) to south-west
(Malkangirig). This region is well marked by a number of interfluves or watersheds. The Eastern
Ghats is interrupted by a number of broad and narrow river valleys and flood plains. The average
beight of this region is about 900 metres above the mean seal level.The highest peak is Deomali

The Central Plateaus

The plateaus are mostly eroded plateaus forming the western slopes of the Eastern Ghats with
elevation varying from 305–610 metres. There are two broad plateaus in Odisha : (i) the Panposh
– Keonjhar -Pallahara plateau comprises the Upper Baitarani catchment basin, and (ii) the
Nabrangpur – Jeypore plateau comprises the Sabari basin.

The Western Rolling Uplands

These are lower in elevation than the plateaus having heights varying from 153 metres to
305 metres.[21]

Rivers

There are four groups of rivers which flow through Odisha into the Bay of Bengal (Table-2).
They are :

(i) Rivers that have a source outside the State (the Subarnarekha, the Brahmani the IB and the
Mahanadi).

(ii) Rivers having a source inside the State(the Budhabalanga, the Baitarani, the Salandi, and the
Rushikulya).
(iii) Rivers having a source inside the Odisha, but flow through other states (the Bahudu, the
Vansadhara, and the Nagavali).

(iv) Rivers having a source inside Odisha, but tributary to rivers which flow through other states
(the Machkund, the Sileru, the Kolab, and the Indravati).

 River Mahanadi: It is the major river of Odisha and the sixth largest river in India. It
originates from the Amarkantak hills of the Bastar Plateau in Raipur district of
[Chhattishgarh]. It is about 857 km Long (494 km In Odisha) and its catchment area
spreads over 141,600 km2. (65,580 km².) in Odisha). The river carries on an average
about 92,600 million m of water.

 River Kathajodi:Around Naraj Bridge which is approx. 10 K.M. from Cuttack City
there are following villages:- Naraja Marthapur(Local Railway Station), Godi Sahi,
Sandhapur, Bidyadharapur, Nua Sahi & Ratagarh.All these villages are rich in ancient
heritage.Ratagarh, there is an ancient Shiva Temple of Chola Dynasty. It is 15 K.M.
(approx.) distance from the City of Bhubaneswar & 6 K.M.(approx.) from Nandan
Kanan, the Zoological Park. A canal arises from the Main Mahanadi River at Naraj
Bridge is running besides which is the main source of water system.In Ratagarh there are
3-4 small hills which connects to the Chandaka-Damapada elephant reservoir. The main
cultivation of the people of these villages are paddy besides vegetales also.The railway
line running between the above villages connects Bhubaneswar with Talcher, the thermal
power station, Sambalpur, Athagarh and then run into the states of Madhya Pradesh.

 The Brahmani: It is the second largest river in Odisha. It originates as two major rivers
like the Sankh and the Koel from the Chota Nagpur Plateau of Bihar and both join at
Veda Vyasa near Rourkela of Sundargarh district of Odisha forming the major River
Brahmani. It flows through the Eastern Ghats in Sundargarh, Deogarh, Kendujhar,
Dhenkanal, Cuttack and Jajpur districts into the Coastal Plains and enters into the Bay of
Bengal along with a combined mouth with the Mahanadi known as the Dhamara. The
Brahmani is 799 km Long (541 km In Odisha) and its catchment area spreads over
39,033 km2. in Odisha).

 The Baitarani: It originates from the Gonasika hills of the Kendujhar district. It is
365 km long and its catchment area spread over 12,790 km2. It entres into the Bay of
Bengal after joining of the Brahmani at Dhamara mouth near Chandbali, Baleshwar.

 The Subarnarekha: It originates from the Chhotanagpur plateau of Bihar. It is 433 km

(70 km in Odisha) and has a catchment area of 19,500 km (3,200 km in Odisha) with a
mean annual flow of 7,900 million n.

 The Budhabalanga: It originates from the easterns slops of the Similipal massif. It is
about 175 km long having a total catchment area of 4840 km2 with an annual flow of
2177 million m. It is major tributaries are the Sone, the Gangadhar, the Catra etc.
  The Rushikulya: It originates from the Rushyamala hills of the Eastern Ghats in
Phulbani district. It is 165 km long with 8900 km2 of catchment areas. Its tributaries are
the Baghua the Dhanei Badanadi etc. It has no delta at its mouth.

 The Bahuda: It originates from the Ramgiri hills of the eastern ghats in Gajapati districts
and joins the Bay of Bengal in Andhra Pradesh. Its length 73 km having a catchment area
of 1250 km2.

 The Bansadhara: It originates from the Flanks of the Durgakangar hills (Lingaraj hills)
of the eastern ghats in Kalahandi districts. It is 230 km long out of which only 150 km in
Odisha. It entres in to the Bay of Bengal at Kalingapatnam in Andhra Pradesh. It has a
catchment area of 11500 km2.

 The Nagabali: It originates from the Bijipur Hills of the eastern ghats near Lanji garah. It
is 210 km long out of which 100 km is in Odisha. It has a total catchment area of about
9410 km2.

 The Salandi: It originates from the Meghasani Hills of the Similipal massif in Keonjhar
district. It is 144 km long with a catchment areas of 1793 km2.

 The Indravati: It originates from the eastern ghats in Kalahandi districts. It is 530 km
long with a catchment area of 41700 km2 as a tributary it flows into the Godabari river.

 The Kolab: It originates from the Sinkaran hills of the eastern Ghats in koraput districts.
It has catchment areas of 20400 km2.

 Tel River: It is one of the largest river of Odisha originating in Nabaramgpur district and
touching Chhattisgarh, Kalahandi, Balangir, Sonepur districts of Odisha and finally
falling in Mahanadi.

Springs

There are a number of Mountain springs and hotspring in Odisha. The Badaghagara and
Sanaghagara in Keonjhar districts Satpasajya in Denkanal districts the Chandikhole in Cuttack
distrcts the Barunei in Khorda distrcts, the Narayani and Nirmalajhar in Ganjam district, the
Patalaganga in Kalahandi districts, the Nursinghanath in Bargarh distrcts and the Harisankar in
Bolangir distrcts and some of the importan

Waterfalls

Most of the rivers, either at the point of origin or over the mountainous bed, have waterfalls. The
Barehipani and Joranda (Similipal ) in Mayurbhanja districts, Sanaghagara and Badaghagara in
Keonjhar district, Pradhanpat in Deogarh district, khandadhar (Banei) in Sundargarh district,
Koilighugar in Jharsuguda district, Phurlijharan, Khandabaladhar, and Rabandhara in Kalahandi
district, Kentamari and Putudi in Boudh and Phulbani district Duduma in Malkangiri district and
Bogra in Koraput district are some of the major waterfalls of Odisha.
Lakes

 The Chilika Lake is brackish water lagoon located in the southern part of the Odisha
coastal plane. It areas varies 780 km2 and 144 km2; during the two monsson months it is
71 km long and 32 km wide. It salinity decleans to a minimum during the monsson.
However in winter, due to the overflow of the tidal water through the narrow opening
from the Bay of Bengal, it is maximum.

 Anshupa is a sweet water lake located in Athagarh of Cuttack district. It is 3 km long and
1.5 km wide. Sara is another sweet water lake located near Puri. It is 5 km long and 3 km
wide. Kanjia is another sweet water lake with about 134 acres (0.54 km2) of area located
in Nandankanan of Cuttack district near Bhubaneswar.[22]
 Pata is another sweet water lake located alongside the town of Chatrapur. It is 4 km long
and 0.5 km wide.
 Hirakud Dam: Artificial Lake in Sambalpur and Jharsuguda largest in Asia.
 Indravati Dam: Artificial Lake in Kalahandi and Nabarangpur
 Kolab Dam: Artificial Lake in Koraput

Politics
The state is governed by a chief minister and cabinet responsible to an elected unicameral
legislature and by a governor appointed by the president of India. Biju Janata Dal (BJD) forms
the current government with the Indian National Congress (INC) and the Bharatiya Janata Party
(BJP) as the main opposition. Naveen Patnaik is the current ruling Chief Minister of Odisha.

 Legislative Assembly election results of Orissa

Economy
Macro-economic trend

This is a chart of trend of gross state domestic product of Odisha at market prices estimated by
Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation with figures in millions of Indian Rupees.

Year Gross State Domestic Product

1985 37,080
1987 68,230
1990 109,040
1995 271,180
2000 387,280
2005 670,900[23]
The state's debt is estimated at almost 59 per cent of its GDP in 2005.[24]

Industrial growth

Odisha has abundant natural resources and a large coastline. It contains a fifth of India's coal, a
quarter of its iron ore, a third of its bauxite reserves and most of the chromite. Rourkela Steel
Plant[25] was the first integrated steel plant in the Public Sector in India. It receives unprecedented
investments in steel, aluminium, power, refineries and ports. India's topmost IT consulting firms,
including Mahindra Satyam, TCS (Tata Consultancy Services), MindTree Consulting,
PricewaterhouseCoopers and Infosys have large branches in Odisha. IBM, Syntel and Wipro are
setting up development centers in Odisha. So far, two of the S&P CNX 500 conglomerates have
corporate offices in Odisha, for example, National Aluminium (2005 gross income .51,162
million) and Tata Sponge Iron (2005 gross income .2,044 million).

Odisha is notable as one of the first Indian states to have tackled its structural problems during
the post-1994 Indian economic reforms. Odisha was the first state in India to begin to privatise
its electricity transmission and distribution businesses. Over the period between 1994 and 2000
Odisha's former state electricity board (SEB) was restructured to form Gridco. This corporation
was then divided into Transco and a collection of distribution companies. Attempts were then
made to sell the distribution companies to the private sector. Like many other states, in 1996
Odisha was losing over 50% of the electricity it was delivered. The scale and importance of these
reforms is notable and an important milestone in India's dramatic economic development.

Performance of Indian states in providing basic social services like education, healthcare, etc., in
2001. Darker states have done better.

Recently the number of companies who have signed Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) to
set up steel plants in the state has gone up to 50, including POSCO of South Korea which has
agreed to construct a mammoth $12 billion steel plant near Paradip port. It would be the largest
single investment in India's history. Arcelor-Mittal has also announced plans to invest in another
mega steel project amounting to $10 billion. Russian major Magnitogorsk Iron and Steel
Company (MMK) plans to set up a 10 MT steel plant in Odisha too. The state is attracting an
unprecedented amount of investment in aluminum, coal-based power plants, petrochemicals, and
information technology as well. In power generation, Reliance Power (Anil Ambani Group) is
putting up the world's largest[citation needed] power plant with an investment of US $13 billion at
Hirma in Jharsuguda district. Vedanta Resources’ 1.4 million tonne alumina project in Kalahandi
district is the largest investment in aluminium. Vedanta has also announced a $3.2 billion dollar
huge private University project on the lines of the Ivy League Universities, which is
unprecedented in the history of education in India. Bandhabahal is a major area which consist of
Open Cast Coal Mines.

The Central Government has agreed to accord SEZ (Special Economic Zone) status to eight sites
in Odisha, among which are Infocity at Bhubaneshwar and Paradip. But all these plans are facing
massive resistance from the people of the state who mainly depend on agriculture for livelihood.
Some vested interests are pushing ahead projects of Mittal, Tata, Vedanta, Birlas causing many
human rights violations. In the year 2009 Odisha was second top Domestic Investment
destination with Gujarat first and Andhra Pradesh in third place according to an analysis of
ASSOCHAM Investment Meter (AIM) Study on Corporate Investments. Odisha's share was 12.6
percent in total investment in the country. It received investment proposal worth . 2,00,846
crore during the last year. Steel and power were among the sectors which attracted maximum
investments in the state.[26] Flood and cyclone are the major hurdles in Odisha's development as
the important districts are situated near to the Bay of Bengal.

Infrastructure development

Although Paradip is home to Odisha's only large port, the coastal towns of Dhamra and Gopalpur
are also undergoing major port development. The government of India has selected the coastal
region of Odisha, stretching from Paradip in the north to Gopalpur in the south, to be developed
into one of five or six Special Economic Regions (SERs) of the country. The government of
India and the state government of Odisha are working together to erect world-class infrastructure
in this region to match that of Rotterdam, Houston, and Pudong. This is aimed at further private
investment in petrochemicals, steel, and manufacturing. A recent Morgan Stanley report
forecasts that Odisha would be flooded with massive investments for manufacturing related
activities in the same manner that Bangalore had attracted software investment in the 1990s. The
scale of the investments in Odisha would, however, be much higher. As of July 2006, total
planned investment in the state is $90 billion. This includes investment in research, education,
hospitals, roads, ports, airports, and hotels. There are many multi-state irrigation projects in
development, including the Godavari River Basin Irrigation Projects. 14 locations have been
identified on Odisha coast to be developed as port. These locations are Gopalpur (Ganjam
district), Bahuda Muhan (Sonepur) in Ganjam district, Palur (Ganjam), Bali Harchandi (Puri),
Astaranga (Puri), Jatadhari Muhan (Jagatsinghpur), Barunei Muhan (Kendrapara), Dhamra
(Bhadrak), Chudamani (Bhadrak), Inchuri (Balasore), Chandipur (Balasore), Bahabalpur
(Balasore), Subarnarekha mouth (Kirtania) in Balasore district and Talsara (Balasore).Most of
the locations among them already been developing as port in the public private partnership
(PPP).[27][28][29]

Media
Odisha has a strong media field, one of the best known among other states.The print newspapers
like Samaja, Dharitri, Sambad, Samaya, Anupam Bharat, Prajatantra updates daily the Odisha
people with the news. Other major dalies are Sambad Kalika, Amari Katha, Pragatibadi,
Dinalipi, Odisha Bhaskar, Khabara etc. Some prominent weekly and fortnighty news papers like
Loka Samachar, Sarkar, Bartta, Saburi Katha, Neta etc. are providing space for people's
aspirations and awareness in the state. Odisha has a strong team of journalists and media group.

Newspapers and history of journalism

Odisha Berhampur University was first to start Journalism teaching programme in 1974.
Chintamoni Mahapatra, a journalist turned journalism teacher was the person who ushered
journalism education in Odisha. Besides Berhampur University, till mid-1980s there were not
many institutions that provided journalism teaching in Odisha. Things began to change from late
1980s.

Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC) opened a campus in Dhenkanal in August 1993
and offered Post Graduate Diploma in English Journalism with 40 seats. IIMC began to attract,
train and provide a steady stream of young professionals to the local papers that were on par with
the best in the country.

Presently there are more than 15 institutes in Odisha both government and private offering
various courses in journalism and mass communication. Among them Sambad School Of Media
and Culture is one. This school is backed by Sambad media house. Nearly 300 students pass out
from such institutes every year in the State.

The field of Odia journalism does not encompass to the level achieved by its neighbours. This is
because of the reading behavior of the Odia people and the lack of experiment in journalistic
writing. Apart from this lacunae, there is another problem which posed itself as the wall against
the development of Odia journalism. i.e. those who pursue journalism, lack interest in the
subject, usually deserting their opted profession. Majority of them prefer to work in PR, HR
sector. So, the day long practice of news presentation style remained unchanged. Still now the
stereotype concept is followed by many journalist. In print media the style of samaj and
prjatantra remained unchanged. In electronic media, the news presentation style is more or less
borrowed from doordarsan and trained at Etv. In print media( esp. regional language) very few
journalists challenged the old style and experimented some thing new. because, lack of
readership surveys and proper analysis the new styles borrowed form English and Hindi media
and successfully implemented here. But, among the new generation writers and journalists who
dared to change the old, Lambodar Prasad Dash is one. His news stories on naxlaite activities
and crime scene are excellent. simple to understand and can draw enthusiasm even in a first time
reader. He is an alumnus of Berhampur University journalism department. In his 13 years career
as many as 200 articles published in different news papers, Magazines. Presently he is serving as
Bureau Chief of Aromv, A daily odiya news papers owned by Chandra Mishra, Another noted
journalist from Orissa. Journalist Lambodar got several opportunities to reform his writing style
when he was working under some of the noted journalists like, Gopal krushna Mahapatro, Sarat
Mishra, Ranjit Guru, Gaourahari das, Prasant Pattanaik, Nabin das, etc.
Transportation
Odisha is connected to India through roads, railways, airports, and seaports. Bhubaneshwar is
well connected by air, rail and road with the rest of India. The Biju Patnaik airport is being
expanded to accommodate wide bodied aircraft. Few highways are getting four lanned.[30]

Regular airports

 Biju Patnaik Airport

 Jharsuguda Airport under proposal by AAI
 Berhampur Airport (Rangeilunda)

Air strips

Barbil, Keonjhar by State Govt.

Baripada (Rajabasa), Mayurbhanj by Ex-Maharaja

Birsal, Dhenkanal by State Govt.

Hirakud (Jamadarpalli), Sambalpur by State Govt.

Jeypore, Koraput by State Govt.

Jharsuguda, Jharsuguda by AAI

Raisuan, Keonjhar by State Govt.

Nuapada (Gotma), Nuapada by State Govt.

Padampur (Sativata), Bargarh by State Govt.

Phulbani (Gudari), Kandhamal by State Govt.

Rairangpur (Dandbose), Mayurbhanj by State Govt.

Rangeilunda (Gopalpur), Ganjam by State Govt.

Rourkela, Sundergarh by SAIL

Therubali, Rayagada by IMFA

Tusura, Bolangir by State Govt.

Utkela, Kalahandi by State Govt.

Amarda Road, Mayurbhanj by Defence

Seaports

 Port of Paradip
 Port of Dhamara[6]
 Port of Gopalpur (Commenced Operation From January 2007 As Seasonal Port)

Dists of Odisha

1:Balasore 2:Bhadrakh 3:Anugul 4:Baragarh 5:Bauda 6:Cuttack 7:Deogarh 8:Dhenkanal

9:Gajapati 10:Ganjam 11:Jagatsinghapur 12:Jajapur 13:Jharsuguda 14:Kalahandi 15:Kandhamal
16:Kendrapara 17:Kendujhar 18:Khordha 19:koraput 20:Malkangiri 21:Mayurbhanj
22:Nabarangpur 23:Nayagarh 24:Nuapara 25:Puri 26:Rayagada 27:Sonepur 28:Sundergarh
29:Balangir 30:Sambalpur

Demographics

Religion in Odisha
Religion Percent
Hinduism    94.6%
Christianity    2.4%
Islam    2.1%
Others    0.9%

According to the 2001 census of India, the total population of Odisha is 36,706,920, of which
18,612,340 (50.89%) are male and 18,094,580 (49.11%) are female, or 972 females per 1000
males. This represents a 16.25% increase over the population in 1991. The population density is
236 per km² and 85.01% of the people live in rural areas and 14.99% live in urban areas.

Oriya is the official language of Odisha and spoken as a native language by about 73% of the
people. Other linguistic minorities in the state are Bengali, Hindi, Telugu, Santali. The literacy
rate is 63.61% with 75.95% of males and 50.97% of females being literate. The proportion of
people living below the poverty line in 1999–2000 was 47.15% which is nearly double the all
India average of 26.10%. Scheduled Castes and Tribes form 16.53% and 22.13% of the state
population, constituting 38.66% of the State population. Some of the important tribes are
Santhal, Bonda, Munda, Oraon, Kora and Mahali.

Data of 1996–2001 showed the life expectancy in the state was 61.64 years, higher than the
national value of years. The state has a birth rate of 23.2%, a death rate of 9.1%, an infant
mortality rate of 65 per 1000 live birth and a maternal mortality rate of 358 per 1,000,000 live
births. Odisha has a HDI of 0.579 in 2004.
The dominant ethnic group are the Odia people. Many other groups are defined as Scheduled
Tribes. Odias comprise 73% of Odisha's population while various tribal groups comprise most of
the rest.[31]

Literature
The history of Odia Literature has been mapped by historians and linguists along the following
stages, Old Odia (900–1300 AD), Early Middle Odia (1300–1500 AD), Middle Odia (1500–
1700 AD), Late Middle Odia (1700 AD – 1850 AD) and Modern Odia (from 1850 AD till the
present). But this rude categorization could not skillfully draw the real picture on account of
development and growth of Odia Literature. Here, we split the total periods in different stages
such as: Age of Charya Literature, Age of Sarala Das, Age of Panchasakha, Age of Upendra
Bhanja, Age of Radhanath, Age of Satyabadi, Age of Marxism or Pragati yuga, Age of
Romanticism or Sabuja Yuga, Post Independent Age.

The beginnings of Odia poetry coincide with the development of Charya Sahitya, the literature
thus started by Mahayana Buddhist poets.[32] This literature was written in a specific metaphor
named "Sandhya Bhasha" and the poets like Luipa, Kanhupa are from the territory of Odisha.
The language of Charya was considered as Prakrita.

The first great poet of Odisha is the famous Sarala-Das who wrote the Mahabharata, not an exact
translation from the Sanskrit original, rather an imitation of the same. Among many of his poems
and epics, he is best remembered for his Mahabharata. Chandi Purana and the Vilanka Ramayana
are also two of his famous creations. Arjuna Das, a contemporary to Sarala Dasa, wrote Rama-
Bibha, a significant long poem in Odia.

Towards the 16th century, five poets emerged, though there are hundreds year gap in between
them. But they are known as Panchashakhas as they believed to same school of thought, Utkaliya
Vaishnavism. The poets are: Balaram Das, Jagannath Das, Achyutananada Das, Ananta Das and
Jasobanta Das. The Panchasakhas are very much Vaishnavas by thought. In 1509 Chaitanya
Mahaprabhu came to Odisha with his Vaishnava message of love. Before him Jaydev had
prepared the ground by heralding the cult of Vaishnavism through his Geetagovinda. Chaitanya’s
path of devotion was known as Raganuga Bhakti Marga, but the Panchasakhas differed from
Chaitanyas and believed in Gyana Mishra Bhakti Marga, which has similarities with the
Buddhist philosophy of Charya Literature stated above.

The Panchashakhas, however, are the direct disciples of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Along with
another seer Shri Arakhsita Das, they are called also as sada-goswami (six Lords). These five
saints primarily believed in Vaishnavism and also additionally cultured and developed Gyana
Mishra Bhakti Marga as stated earlier (beliefs about the body, the mind, the soul, and the
Parambrahm). They have composed numerous manuscripts, mâlikas, devotional poems, Sadhana
descriptions, and other religious scriptures. Also, many prophecies are described by these seers
in there numerous literature. Most of the literature were written in hand on palm-leaves using the
Devanagari or the Oriya script.
The two prime works from the five writers are the Bhâgavata by Jagannath Das and the
Jagamohana Râmâyana by Balarâm Das. Till today Jagannath Das’s Bhâgavata is the most
valued book in Oriya literature. Besides this great work he (Jagannath Das) also composed Artha
Koili, Darubrahma Geetâ, Shunya Bhâgabata, Dhruba Stuti etc. Balaram Das, apart from
Jagamohana Râmâyana, has also composed various works such as the Lakshmi Purâna,
Vendântasâra Guptagitâ, Nâma-mâhatmya, Bhâva samudra, Sisu Veda, Kamalalochana
Chautisâ, Kânta Koili. Shri Ananta Das, also known as Shishu Ananta Das has composed various
devotional literature, e.g., Chumbaka malikâ, Nilagiri charita, Hetu Udaya Bhâgabata, Artha
Târeni Prasnottara, Anâkâra Samhitâ, Bhaktimuktipradâyaka Geetâ. Similarly, Shri Jasovanta
Das composed Shiba Shirodaya, Premabhaktibrahma Geetâ, Âtmaparatey Geetâ,
Gobindachandra.

Acyutananda was the most prolific writer of the Panchasakhas and has written numerous books
(called as pothi's), believed not in one life but in many successive lives. He is known as the
Mahapurusha, which means - a great man. A few works of him are: Shunya Samhita, Chaurashi
Yantra, Gurubhakti Geeta, Khila Haribamsa, Gupta Bhagabata, Kaivarta Geeta, Kaala Nirghanta,
Tera Janma Sharana, Brahma Ekahshara Geeta, Gopala Ogâla, Bhava Samudra, Garuda Geeta,
Brahma Shankuli, Ananta Bata Geeta, Kali Kalkpa Geeta, Asta Gujjari, Gujjari Raasa, Brahma
Kundali, Mahagupta Padmakalpa, Chausathi Patala, Chayalisha Patala, Chabisa Patala, Dasa
Patala, Neetya Raasa, Manmatha Chandrika, Shiva Kalpa, Achyutananda Janma Sharana, Chitta
Bodha, Raasa Maala, and Panchasakhaa Bhajana. The Shunya Samhita dealt with spiritual
knowledge as well as physical sciences like solar science, atomic and molecular concepts, and
aerospace concepts. The term Chauraashi Yantra describes '84 yantras' embedded within the
human body, the later itself is ~84 fingers in length and each Yantra is located for each finger-
length space. However, the most popular one seems to be an "Oracle of Prophecies" named as
Bhavishya Malika. Among prophecies also are Aagata bhabishya lekhanaa and Bhavishya
Paraardha. About the Identification of his disciple and the primary devotees, he had composed
the Jaiphula Malika. Also his copper oracle (Tamrapothi) which appears to mysteriously read the
mind and provide suitable answers is still available today, operated by a priest in Kakatpur.

Shri Arakhsita Das, the seer of Olasuni, had written the Mahimandala Geeta, the Bhakti Tikaa,
the Saptaanga Abadhuta Samhita, and the Tatvasara Geeta.

At the end of age of Panchasakha, the prominent poets are Dinakrushna Das, Upendra Bhanja
and Abhimanyu Samanta Simhar. Verbal jugglery, obscenity and eroticism as the characteristics
of Shringara Kavyas, became the trend of this period to which Upendra Bhanja took a leading
role. His creations were Baidehisha Bilasa, Koti Brahmanda Sundari, Lavanyabati were proved
land mark in Odia Literature. Upendra Bhanja was conferred with the title Kabi Samrat of Odia
literature for the aesthetic poetic sense and verbal jugglery proficiency. Dinakrushna Das’s
Rasokallola and Abhimanyu samanta Simhara’s Bidagdha Chintamani are prominent kavyas of
this time.
Fakir Mohan Senapati

The first Odia printing typeset was cast in 1836 by the Christian missionaries which made a great
revolution in Odia literature. Instead of palm leaf inscription, the books were being printed and
the periodicals and journals were published. The first Odia Magazine of 'Bodha Dayini' was
published from Balasore in 1861. The main object of this magazine was to promote Odia
literature and to draw attention to the lapses in government policy. The first Odia paper, 'The
Utkal Deepika' made its appearance in 1866 under the editorship of late Gouri Sankar Ray with
the help of late Bichitrananda. The publication of these papers during the last part of the 19th
century encouraged the modern literature and acted as a media to provide a wide readers range
for the writers, The educated intellectuals came in contact with the English Literature and got
influenced. Radhanath Ray (1849–1908) is the prime figure, who tried to write his poems with
the influence of Western Literature. He wrote Chandrabhaga, Nandikeshwari, Usha, Mahajatra,
darbar and Chilika wee the long poems or Kavyas. Fakir Mohan Senapati (1843–1918), the
prime figure of modern Odia Fiction Prose is the product of that generation. He was considered
the Vyasakabi or founder poet of Odia language. Fakir Mohan Senapati is well known for his
novel Chha Maana Atha Guntha. It is the first Indian novel to deal with the exploitations of
landless peasants by the feudal Lord. It was written much before the October revolution of
Russia or much before the emerging of Marxist ideas in India.

With rise of freedom movement, a literary though was emerged with the influence of Gandhiji
and idealistic trend of Nationalism formed as a new trend in Odia Literature. Much respected
personality of Odisha culture and history, Utkalmani Gopabandhu Dash (1877–1928) has
founded a school at avillage Satyabadi near Sakshigopal of Odisha and an idealstic literary
movement influenced the writers of this age. Godabarisha Mohapatra, Kuntala-Kumari Sabat the
other renowned name of this age.

With the emergence of soviet Russia in 1935, a Communist party was formed in Odisha and a
periodical named "Adhunika" was published by the party. Bhagawati Charan Panigrahi and
Sachidananda Routray were the founder members and writer/poets of the party. Bhagwati turned
to fiction writing and though Sachidananda Routray (who is better known as "Sachi Routra" or
Sachi Babu) has written some short stories is actually remembered for his poems. Influenced by
the romantic thoughts of Rabindranath tagore, during the thirties when the progressive Marxian
movements was in full flow in Odia Literature, Kalindi Charan Panigrahi, the brother of
Bhagabati Charan Panigrahi, the founder of Marxian Trend in Odisha, formed a group circa 1920
called "Sabuja Samiti." Mayadhar Mansingh was a renowned poet of that time though he was
considered as a romantic poet, but he kept the distance away from the influence of Rabindranath
successfully.

As the successor of Sachi Babu, two poets Guruprasad Mohanty (popularly known as Guru
Prasad) (1924–2004) and Bhanuji Rao came with T.S. Eliot and published their co-authored
poetry book "Nutan Kabita". Later, Ramakanta Rath modified the ideas. Sitakanta Mohapatra,
Soubhagya Kumar Mishra, Rajendra Kihore Panda, Brajanath Rath, Jayanta Mahapatra,
Kamalakant Lenka, J P Das, Brahmotri Mohanty, Mamata Dash, Amaresh Patnaik, Hrushikesh
Mallick, Sunil Kumar Prusty, Sucheta Mishra, Aparna Mohanty, Pritidhara Samal, Basudev
Sunani, Gajanan Mishra, Bharat Majhi are some poets of this contemporary age. In the Post-
Independence Era Odia fiction assumed a new direction. The trend which Fakir Mohan has
started actually developed more after 50’s of last century. Gopinath Mohanty (1914–1991),
Surendra Mohanty and Manoj Das (1934– ) are considered as three jewels of this time. The other
significant fiction writers are Chandrasekhar Rath, Dr Jagannath Prasad Das, Shantanu Acharya,
Mohapatra Nilamani Sahoo, Rabi Patnaik, Debraj Lenka, Tarun Kanti Mishra, Krushna Prasad
Mishra, Akhil Mohan Patnaik, Jagadish Mohanty, Kanheilal Das. Satya Mishra, Ramchandra
Behera, Padmaja Pal, Binapani Mohanty, Prativa Ray, Yashodhara mishra and Sarojini Sahoo
are a few writers whose writings have created a new age in the field of fiction. Jayanti Ratha,
Susmita Bagchi. Paramita Satpathy, Hiranmayee Mishra, Chirashree IndraSingh Supriya Panda,
Gayatri Saraf, Mamata Chowdhry are few fiction writerw in this period, In the field of drama,
the traditional Odia theatre is the folk opera, or Jatra, which flourishes in the rural areas of
Odisha. Modern theatre is no longer commercially viable. But in the 1960, experimental theatre
made a mark through the works of Manoranjan Das, who pioneered the new theatre movement
with his brand of experimentalism. Bijay Mishra, Biswajit Das, Kartik Rath, Ramesh Chandra
Panigrahi, Ratnakar Chaini, Ranjit Patnaik continued the tradition.

As a whole, Odia literature is a strong wing of Indian Literature to represent in world forum.

Literary magazines: (monthly) Jhankar, Nabarabi, Apurba, Galpa, Kahani, Kadambini,

Istahara, Udbhasa, Amrutayana, Nabalipi, Pratibeshi, Paschima, Bijaya, Bartika, Chitra,
Bishwamukti, Ama Samaya, Sananda, Godhuli Lagna, Bigyan Diganta (Science), and pourusha.

Culture
The language spoken by the majority of the people is Odia. English is widely used for official
purpose and Oriya is used as regional language. Oriya belongs to the Indo-Aryan branch of the
Indo-European language family, and is closely related to Bengali and Assamese. A few tribal
languages belonging to the Dravidian and Munda language families are spoken by the Adivasis
(original inhabitants) of the state. The state has a very opulent cultural heritage, one of the richest
in India. The capital city of Bhubaneshwar is known for the exquisite temples that dot its
landscape. The famous classical dance form, Odissi originated in Odisha. Contemporary Odisha
has a proud cultural heritage that arose due to the intermingling of three great religious traditions
– Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism. The culture of the Adivasis is an integral part of modern
Odia heritage.

Dance

Odissi or Orissi dance and music is classified as a classical music of India.Odissi is the oldest
surviving dance form in India on the basis of archaeological evidence.[33][34] Odissi has a long,
unbroken tradition of 2,000 years,[citation needed] and finds mention in the Natyashastra of
Bharatamuni, possibly written circa 200 BC. However, the dance form nearly went extinct
during the British period, only to be revived after India's independence by a few Gurus, such as
Guru Deba Prasad Das, Guru Mayadhar Raut, Guru Pankaj Charan Das, Guru Mahadev Rout,
Guru Raghu Dutta, and Guru Kelu Charan Mahapatra. Odissi classical dance is about the love of
Krishna and his supposed consort Radha, mostly drawn from compositions by the notable Odia
poet Jayadeva, who lived in the twelfth century AD.

Ghumura Dance

Ghumura Dance (or Ghumra Dance) is one of the most sought and leading folk dance form in
Odisha. It is classified as folk dance as the dress code of Ghumura resembles more like a tribal
dance, but recent researchers argue different mudra and dance form present in Ghumura bear
more resemblance with other classical dance form of India.[35] The timeline of Ghumura dance is
not clear. Many researchers claim it was a War dance in ancient India and used by Ravana in
Ramayana. Ghumura dance is depicted in Konark Sun Temple confirming this dance form is
since the medieval period. In the Madhya Parba of Sarala Mhabharata Ghumura has been
mentioned as: "Dhola Madala Gadi je Ghumura Bajai Ghumura je Ghumu Ghumu Hoi Garajai"
In Chandi Purana mentions: "Biratwara Biradhola Daundi Ghumura Kadamardala Bajanti
Mari Galatura" Ghumura was also used as a Darbari dance in the princely state of Kalahandi
and played by the earstwhile Kalahandi state during war times.[35] The typical mixed sound that
comes out of the musical instruments like Ghumura, Nishan, Dhol, Taal, Madal etc. and the
expressions and movements of the artists make this dance to be a Heroic Dance[36]. Since
thousands of years Ghumura dance has evolved from a war dance to a dance form for cultural
and social activities. The dance is associated with social entertainment, relaxation, love, devotion
and friendly brotherhood among all class, creed and religion in the present days. Traditionally
this dance is also associated with Nuakhai and Dasahara celebration in Kalahandi and large parts
of South Western Orissa. Ghumura dance is still hidden in the village level in South Western
Odisha and some parts of bordering Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. Kalahandi region has
taken a leading rule in popularizing and retaining its unique identity of Ghumura dance.
Kalahandi is mainly known as land of Ghumura.[36] Ghumura dance has got the opportunity to
represent the nation in various international events Delhi, Moscow, Kolkata, and various other
cities in India. Ghumura dance is also one of the most researched folk dance form in Odisha.

Kau dance (or Chau dance) is a form of tribal martial dance attributed to origins in Mayurbhanj
princly state of Odisha and seen in the Indian states of West Bengal, Jharkhand and Odisha.
There are three subtypes of the dance, based on the original places where the subtypes were
developed. Seraikella Chau was developed in Seraikella, the administrative head of the Seraikela
Kharsawan district of Jharkhand, Purulia Chau in Purulia district of West Bengal and
Mayurbhanj Chau in Mayurbhanj district of Odisha.

Mahari Dance is one of the important dance forms of Odisha and originated in the temples of
Odisha. History of Odisha provides evidence of the 'Devadasi' cult in Odisha. Devadasis were
dancing girls who were dedicated to the temples of Odisha. The Devadasis in Odisha were
known as 'Maharis' and the dance performed by them came to be known as Mahari Dance.

It was during the reign of Chodagangadeva, Maharis were employed in the temples of Puri. After
Chodagangadeva's death, Ananabhimadeva built Natyamandapa in the Jagannath temple for the
dance performances inside the temple. Moreover, in those days, the Mahari dancers belonged to
different categories namely, the 'Nachunis' (dancers), the Bahara Gauni, the Bhitara Gauni and
the Gaudasanis.

The Mahari Dancers of Odisha are supposed to follow certain restrictions, such as:

 They cannot enjoy.

 They should dance on the ceremonies connected to Jagannath.
 They should adhere to the specifications made by the Sastras.
 They must always wear clean cloths.
 The dancer cannot be physically handicapped.
 At the time of the performances, the dancers are not supposed to look at the audience.
 The Maharis are married to the Lord at the age of nine.
 Before their performances, the Mahari dancers pay their obeisance to the Lord.

In Odisha, one can also come across another type of Mahari dancers, who are known as
'Samarpada Niyoga'. The duty of the 'Samarpada Niyoga' is to dance during the ceremonial
procession of the deities. These dancers perform during the Ratha Yatra, Jhulana Yatra, Dola
Yatra, etc.

The Western Odisha has also great variety of dance forms unique to Odisha culture. The
children's verses are known as "Chhiollai", "Humobauli" and "Dauligit", the adolescent poems
are "Sajani", "Chhata", "Daika", "Bhekani" : the eternal youth composes "Rasarkeli", "Jaiphul",
"Maila Jada", "Bayamana", "Gunchikuta" and "Dalkhai", The work-man's poetry comprises
"Karma" and "Jhumer" pertaining to Vishwakarma and the "Karamashani" deities. The
professional entertainers perform Dand, Danggada, Mudgada, Ghumra, Sadhana, sabar –
Sabaren, Disdigo, Nachina – Bajnia, Samparda and Sanchar. They are for all occasions, for all
time with varieties of rhythm and rhyme.

Pala is a unique form of balladry in Odisha, which artistically combines elements of theatre,
classical Odissi music, highly refined Odia and Sanskrit poetry, wit, and humour. The literal
meaning of pala is turn. It is more sophisticated than the other Odia ballad tradition, Daskathia.
Pala is presented in three ways. The names can be mentioned as baithaki or `seated`, in which the
performers sit on the ground throughout. The other one is thia or `standing`. This is more popular
and aesthetically more satisfying, in which they stand. Badi is a kind of thia in which two groups
vie for excellence. This is the most entertaining, as there is an element of competition.

Gotipua dance is another form of dance in Odisha. In Odia colloquial language Gotipua means
single boy. The dance performance done by a single boy is known as Gotipua dance, When
decadence and declination came in to Devadasi or mahari tradition due to various reasons this
Gotipua dance tradition evolved as sequel as these performance were practiced to please the
gods. It is totally unknown that when exactly this danced form came in to practice. Still some
historians say that this dance tradition appears to have originated during the region of
Prataprudradev (1497 AD to 1540 AD) and gained popularity in the subsequent Muslim Rule.
Ray Remananda the famous Vaishnavite Minister of King Pratapruda and ardent follower of Sri
Chitanya is the originator of this boy dancing tradition, As Vasishnavs were not approving of the
females in to dance practices so it possible that the dance tradition must have come after Sri
Chaitanya came to Odisha. The Gotipua Dance Tradition is now seen in the village Raghurajpur
situated 10 km away from Puri town, situated on the banks of river Bhargabi. It is otherwise
known as the Crafts Village as various Odia handicrafts’ craftsmen reside in this village
contributing their expertise in Patta Painting and other handukrafts.

Prince Dance Group,a dance group based in Berhampur, Odisha, India led by Krishna Mohan
Reddy. It has won a reality show India's Got Talent on an Indian TV channel "Colors" [1]The
group is unique that the members are from a remote part of India and most of them are from
disadvantaged sections of different parts of Ganjam district. Two of them, Padmanabha Sahu
(24) and Telu Tarini (13) are physically challenged[2]. They have won the hearts of all Odias,
including chief minister Naveen Patnaik, and even outsiders with their performance in the
programme "India's Got Talent". The group, comprising 26 artistes held the audience and the
judges engrossed with their act from the mythological Mahabharata and Vande Maataram.

[edit] Music

Sixteenth century witnessed the compilation of literature on music. The four important treatises
written during that time are Sangitamava Chandrika, Natya Manorama, Sangita Kalalata and Gita
Prakasha. Odissi music is a combination of four distinctive kinds of music, namely, Chitrapada,
Dhruvapada, Panchal and Chitrakala. When music uses artwork, it is known as Chitikala. A
unique feature of Odia music is the Padi, which consists of singing of words in fast beat.

Being a part of the rich culture of Odisha, its music is also as much charming and colorful.
Odissi music is more than two thousand five hundred years old and comprises a number of
categories. Of these, the five broad ones are Tribal Music, Folk Music, Light Music, Light-
Classical Music and Classical Music. Anyone who is trying to understand the culture of Odisha
must take into account its music, which essentially forms a part of its legacy. In the ancient
times, there were poets who wrote the lyrics of poems and songs that were sung to rouse the
religious feelings of people. It was by the eleventh century that the music of Odisha, in the form
of Triswari, Chatuhswari, and Panchaswari, underwent transformation and was converted into
the classical style.

Folk music like yogi gita, kendara gita,dhuduki badya,prahallad natak,palla, sankirtan, mogal
tamasa, gitinatya, kandhei nacha, kela nacha,ghoda nacha, danda nacha and daskathia are
popular in Odisha.

Almost every tribal group has their own distinct song and dance style.

Structural art

Sambalpuri Baandha Saree

Other cultural attractions include the Jagannatha Temple in Puri, known for its annual Rath Yatra
or Car Festival, the unique and beautiful applique artwork of Pipili, silver filigree ornamental
works from Cuttack, the Patta chitras (palm leaf paintings), famous stone utensils of Nilgiri
(Balasore) and various tribal influenced cultures. The Sun temple at Konark is famous for its
architectural splendour and erotic sculpture, while the 'Sambalpuri textiles' equals it in its artistic
grandeur.The saree of Odisha is much in demand throughout the entire world. The different
colors and varieties of sarees in Odisha make them very popular among the women of the state.
The handloom sarees available in Odisha can be of four major types; these are Ikat, Bandha,
Bomkai and Pasapalli. Odisha sarees are also available in other colors like cream, maroon,
brown and rust. The tie-and-dye technique used by the weavers of Odisha to create motifs on
these sarees is unique to this region. This technique also gives the sarees of Odisha an identity of
their own.

Sand art

A unique type of art form was developed at Puri[citation needed], but it has spread all over the world.
To carve a sand sculpture, the raw material is clean and fine-grained sand mixed with water.
With the help of this type of sand and by the magic of fingers, an artist can carve a beautiful and
attractive sculpture on the beach. Sudarshana Pattanaik is one of the major world-class artists in
this sculpture.[citation needed]

Although not historically proved, there is a story in the Odia myths regarding the origin of sand
sculpture: "Poet Balaram Das, the author of Dandi Ramayan was a great devotee of Jagannath.
Once during Ratha Yatra (Car Festival), he tried to climb the chariot of Jagannath to offer his
prayer. He wasn't allowed by the priests of the chariot to climb it and was also insulted by them.
With great frustration and humiliation he came to the beach (Mahodadhi) and carved statues of
Jagannath, Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra on the golden sand.

Religion

Gita Govinda manuscript

The majority of people in the state of Odisha are Hindu and there is a also rich cultural heritage
in the state. For example, Odisha is home to several Hindu figures. Sant Bhima Bhoi was a
leader of the Mahima sect movement. Sarala Dasa, an adivasi, was the translator of the epic
Mahabharata in Odia. Chaitanya Dasa was a Buddhistic-Vaishnava and writer of the Nirguna
Mahatmya. Jayadeva was the author of the Gita Govinda.

The Orissa Temple Authorisation Act of 1948 empowered the Government of Odisha to have
Hindu temples open for all Hindus including the Harijans.[37]

Perhaps the oldest scripture of Odisha is the Madala Panji from the Puri Temple believed from
1042 AD. Famous Hindu Odian scripture includes the 16th century Bhagabata of Jagannatha
Dasa.[38] In the modern times Madhusudan Rao was a major Odia writer, who was a Brahmo
Samajist and shaped modern Odia literature at the turn of the 20th century.[39]

Cinema

The Odia film production in the initial years was very slow. After first Odia film Sita Bibaha in
1936, only two films were produced till 1951. A joint consortium of landlords and businessmen
who collected funds after 1948 produced those two movies. The first film 'Sita Bibaha' was
directed by Mohan Sunder Dev Goswami and was released in Laxmi Theatre, Puri. The 1951
production Roles to Eight was the first Odia film having an English name. It was released after
15 years of the first Odia film Sita Bibaha. It was the fourth Odia film produced by Ratikanta
Padhi.The eleventh Odia film Sri Lokenath was the first Odia film, which got National Award in
1960 directed by Prafulla Sengupta.[40]
The same year, Prasant Nanda won a National Award as best actor for the film Nua Bou with his
debut film. The name of Prasantha Nanda would always come while dealing with Odia Film
Industry. He was present in Odia films since 1939, but he became active only after 1976. Nanda
served Odia Film Industry as an actor, director, screenplay writer, and lyricist and even as a
playback singer. Such a versatile genius is quite rare in Indian cinema history. Nanda alone
carried Odia films into the national honor list by winning National Awards three times in 1960,
1966 and 1969 for his acting in Nua Bou, Matira Manisha and Adina Megha. Uttam Mohanty,
whose debut film Abhiman won accolades all over, is now the veteran actor of the Odia Film
Industry. His wife Aparajita Mohanty is also a renowned actress. Sarat Chandra Pujari was one
of the most popular actor of the 60S era. His popular films are Nua Bou, Jeevan
Sathi,Sadhana,Manika Jodi, Naba Janma, Matira Manisa, Arundhati,Ghara Sansara, Bhookha
etc. His films portrayed the general condition of the state of Odisha with a strong social message.
Mr Sarat Chandra Pujari is a prominent figure till now. Apart from being an actor he was also a
successful director and an academician. He still continues to act in a few selected films.
Currently he is enjoying his retired life and writes columns in the newspapers as his hobby.Raju
Mishra is another rising star in Odia film industry. He is an international award wining
photographer, director, choreographer and lyricist of Odia film industry. Other well known
actors are Bijaya Mohanty,Uttam Mohanty, Sidhharth, Sriram Panda, Maheswata, Tandra Ray
and others.

Cuisine

Oriya cuisine Odisha has culinary tradition spanning centuries if not millennia. The kitchen of
the famous Jagannath temple in Puri is reputed to be the largest in the world, with a thousand
chefs, working around 752 wood-burning clay hearths called chulas, to feed over 10,000 people
each day.[citation needed]

Salepur Rasogolla is famous and it is mainly prepared by Kar and Brothers (Bikalananda Kar) of
salepur. Its branches are also present in cuttack and Bhubaneswar. Pahala, located on the
Cuttack-Bhubaneshwar road, is famous for its variety of Rasgullas. The well-known rice
pudding, kheeri (kheer) that is relished all over India, also originated in Puri two thousand years
ago. Chhenapoda is also a major Odisha sweet cuisine originated in Nayagarh, it is made by
caramelizing cottage cheese with sugar, cardamom and other ingredients and then burning it over
a chula (wood-burning clay hearths). Chenna Jheeli and malpua are other famous sweet deserts.
One of the most famous delicacies of Odisha is Kakara Peetha (made of sooji or finely grained
wheat) especially with coconut filling sauteed with pepper, cardamom, sugar and ghee and
sometimes cottage cheese (chena). Its one of the major delicacy during the festival occasions.

Pakhala, a dish made of rice, water, and yoghurt, that is fermented overnight, is very popular in
summer, particularly in the rural areas. Odias are very fond of sweets and no Odia repast is
considered complete without some dessert at the end. A typical meal in Odisha consists of a
main course and dessert. Typically breads are served as the main course for breakfast, whereas
rice is eaten with lentils (dals) during lunch and dinner. The main course also includes one or
more curries, vegetables and pickles. Given the fondness for sweet foods, the dessert course may
include generous portions of more than a single item. Odia desserts are made from a variety of
ingredients, with milk, chhenna (a form of ricotta cheese), coconut, rice, and wheat flour being
the most common.

Also one of the most famous veg dishes are Dalma (made of lentils and vegetables boiled
together and then fried with other spices) and Santula. Even the former Indian President Dr. APJ
Abdul Kalam introduced these into the Rashtrapati Bhavan Menu. Ghanta and Posta curries are
also some of the signature dishes.

Odisha food habit is pretty balanced between the non-veg and veg habits. Due to its vast
shoreline and number of rivers flowing across, fish is a very important part of the diet. Odisha
also expertises in sea food cuisines like Prawn and Crab. The famous Chilika Lake is particularly
famous for offering best sea food cuisines that are one of a lifetime experience.[citation needed]

Odisha's food habit is actually the horizon between the South Indian food habit and the North
Indian Food habits. One can easily find Dosas, Vadas and idlis being served as breakfast and
snacks which are typically south Indian food and also can find Poori- Chole, Samosa's(locally
called Singada), and other north Indian delicacies in the menu. One of the best combination of
both the North and South of India is Dahibara-Aludum-Gugguni especially in the city of Cuttack.
Dahibara (vadaa Dipped and soaked in curd), aludum (a spicy curry made from potato) and
Guuguni(chickpea Curry) really go well together and is one of the best fusion of the Indian
Subcontinent recipes.

Education

Ratnagiri University

The ruins of a major ancient university and center of Buddhist learning, Ratnagiri, were recently
discovered in the Jajpur district of Odisha. Scholars from far away lands, such as Greece[citation
needed]
, Persia and China used to study philosophy, astronomy, mathematics and science at this
famed University. Taxila, Nalanda and Ratnagiri are amongst the oldest universities in the world.
The ruins of Ratnagiri University have not been fully excavated yet.

The modern higher education system in Odisha is the legacy of the British Raj. There are eleven
recognised universities or deemed universities viz. Ravenshaw University at Cuttack, Veer
Surendra Sai University of Technology, Burla, Sambalpur (formerly University College of
Engineering, Burla), Utkal University (at Bhubaneshwar), Sambalpur University at Sambalpur,
Berhampur University at Berhampur, North Odisha University at Baripada, Fakir Mohan
University at Balasore, Odisha University of Agricultural Technology (OUAT) at
Bhubaneshwar, Utkal University of Culture at Bhubaneshwar, Biju Patnaik University of
Technology at Rourkela, , Sri Jagannatha Sanskrit University and Sadashiva Kendriya
Vidyapeetha Deemed (Sanskrit) University both at Puri and KIIT University in Bhubaneshwar.
Many of these universities have numerous constituent colleges some of which are autonomous
such as BJB College at Bhubaneshwar, SCS College at Puri, N.C. College at Jajpur, G.M.
College at Sambalpur, Khalikote college at Berhampur, F.M. College at Balasore among others.

Entry to various institutes of higher education especially into engineering degrees is through a
centralised Joint Entrance Examination, conducted by the Veer Surendra Sai University of
Technology where seats are provided according to order of merit. [41]

Berhampur university is located in the center of Odisha in the city Berhampur way to Gopalpur.
[42]

One of the prestigious institutions of India, NIT Rourkela, National Institute of Technology was
upgraded from Regional Engineering College and is an Institute of National Importance. Another
premier college of Odisha is the Veer Surendra Sai University of Technology, Burla, which is
the first engineering college in Odisha and is famous for its excellent infrastructure and state-of-
art teaching methodology.[citation needed]

Odisha is also home to one of the two Indian Institute of Mass Communication IIMC situated in
Dhenkanal. This is a premier institute for mass communication and journalism.[citation needed]

Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneshwar

The Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar (XIMB) is a premier business school of

national and international significance[citation needed] located in the state capital. The National
Institute of Science Education and Research, Bhubaneswar (NISER) is another premier
educational cum research institution[citation needed] that is being set up. It will be built along the lines
of the reputed IISc, Bangalore. The government of Odisha has provided 935 acres (3.78 km2) of
land at Arugul near Jatni Railway Station for IIT Bhubaneshwar. Classes have already started
from 2008 batch.IIT BBSR The plans of setting up of an AIIMS is also in advanced stages.
Meanwhile Vedanta University Project, a not-for-profit initiative by the Anil Agarwal
Foundation, is an epoch-making dream to have a world class centre for learning and research on
the picturesque Puri-Konark marine drive in Odisha. It will have about 100,000 students with an
international mix of students pursuing around 95 diverse streams of learning in a sprawling
campus of around 56,000,000 sq ft (5,200,000 m2) built up area supported by state of the art, IT
and Communications systems. Even more recently, Reliance industries has expressed its
intention of establishing a new Dhirubhai Ambani Institute of Information and Communication
Technology (DA-IICT), as well as a health city for medical education and research in
Bhubaneshwar. Some of the research institutes of Odisha includes Institute of Physics at
Bhubaneshwar, Institute of Life Sciences at Bhubaneshwar, Central Rice Research Institute at
Cuttack, Central Institute of Fresh water Aquaculture (CIFA)at Bhubaneshwar, Regional
Medical Research centre at Bhubaneshwar, Institute of Minerals and Material Technology at
Bhubaneshwar and Regional Plant Resource Centre at Bhubaneshwar. As of now, Odisha
receives the lowest per capita investment of all 28 states from the central government towards
human resource development.

Odisha also boasts of many renowned medical Colleges such as SCB Medical College, Cuttack,
Veer Surendra Sai Medical College, Burla and MKCG Medical College,Berhampur . These
colleges have been able to produce excellent doctors who have gone on to head various top posts
in the Union Medical Departments. Kalinga Institute of Medical Sciences, Bhubaneshwar and
Hi-tech Medical College, Bhubaneshwar are some of the private world-class medical colleges
and hospitals serving the state of Odisha. Many students from the neighboring state of
Jharkhand, Bihar and Chattisgarh come to Odisha for better education and expertise. Various
International and National Universities have signed MoUs with top colleges for various seminars
and workshop to be conducted within the campuses. The elite IIT have started its classes in
Bhubaneshwar and for which the plans have already been laid out and is already taking shape.

Tourism

Konark Sun Temple built by the Eastern Ganga dynasty is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Ranigumpha part of Udayagiri and Khandagiri Caves

The landscape of Odisha is dotted with a large number of temples. The temples of Odisha
conform to the Indo Aryan Nagara style of architecture, with distinctive features specific to this
region. The best known of these are the Lingaraja temple at Bhubaneshwar, Jagannath Temple at
Puri and the Sun Temple at Konark. The temples of Odisha exhibit a majestic grandeur. An Odia
temple (deula) usually consists of a sanctum, one or several front porches (jagamohana) usually
with pyramidal roofs, a dancing hall (nata mandir) and a hall of offerings (bhog mandir).

'The Lingaraj temple at Bhubaneshwar boasts of a 150-foot (46 m) high deul while the Jagannath
Temple at Puri is about 200 feet (61 m) high and it dominates the skyline of the town. Only a
portion of the Sun Temple at Konark, the largest of the temples of the Golden triangle exists
today, and it is still staggering in size. It stands out as a masterpiece in Odisha architecture.
Odisha is also well known as a Buddhist and Jain pilgrimage destination. North-east of Cuttack,
about 10 km from Bhubaneshwar, there are Buddhist relics and ruins at the three hilltop
complexes of Udayagiri and Khandagiri Caves, which still bear witness to Buddhism's fruitful
tryst with this region until well into the 13th century.

Odisha's varying topography – from the wooded Eastern Ghats to the fertile river basin – has
proven ideal for evolution of compact and unique ecosystems. Thereby creating such treasure
troves of flora and fauna that even seem inviting to many migratory species of birds and reptiles.
Bhitar Kanika National Park is famous for its second largest mangrove ecosystem. The bird
sanctuary in Chilika (Asia's biggest brackish water lake) and the tiger reserve and waterfalls in
Simlipal National Park are integral part of any eco tours in Odisha, arranged by Tourism of
Odisha.[43]

The Gharial Sanctuary at Tikarpada and the Olive Ridley Sea Turtles in Gahirmatha turtle
sanctuary also feature on the list of avid nature watchers. The city wildlife sanctuaries of
Chandaka and Nandan Kanan are a must visit for the lessons they teach is conservation and
revitalization of species from the brink of extinction.

Odisha is blessed with around 500 km long coastline and has some of the most beautiful beaches
in the world. Chilika, Asia's largest brackish water lake, not only provides a haven for millions of
birds, but is also one of the few places in India where one can view dolphins. The lush green
forest cover of Odisha plays host to a wide variety of flora and fauna, including the famed Royal
Bengal Tiger. Amidst the picturesque hills and valleys nestle a number of breathtaking waterfalls
and rivulets that attract visitors from all over. Odisha beaches include Puri, Gopalpur-on-Sea,
Chandipur, Ramachandi Beach, Balighai Beach, Astarang Beach, Paradeep Beach. The famous
Shiva Temple is near Dhenkanal.

Children's literature in Oriya

Children's literature written in the Oriya language has a long history. Its roots are in
Moukhika Sishu Sahitya, which is a part of the Loka Sahitya meant for the children. As its
development started after modern education was implemented, Oriya children's literature is
divided in two parts Oriya Moukhika children's literature and Oriya written children's literature.

Dr. Basanta Kishore Sahoo is a research scholar and a children's writer who published his Ph.D
thesis on the topic, entitled "Oriya Moukhika Shisu Sahitya." He is an Indian children writer and
research scholar who created his own field. He was born on 15 March 1955, at Kusupur, a
famous village in the Mahanga block of Cuttack District of Orissa State where Palikabi Nanda
Kishore Bal, Silpiguru Bimbadhar Barma, Kabi Gyanindra Burma, Reporter Rajendra Burma
and Suvendra Burma, Editor Pradmyuna Bal and Sishu Sahityika Nanda Kishore Bal were Born.
His father’s name is Bira Kishore Sahoo and mother’s name Malli Dei. Now he is working as a
Lecturer in Oriya at Aeronautics College, Sunabeda of Koraput District. He is one of the famous
children’s writer of the present time. He wrote 25 books in Oriya, English, Hindi and Bengali
who are very popular among the children’s of Orissa. Phula Ame Phula is his first children’s
poem collection which is published in 1992. After that his book Agada Bagada Jhainki Jhumpa is
published which is give him name and fame. He wrote both criticism and creative books for the
children’s as well as children’s scholars of the state in his mother tongue Oriya. He got his Ph. D.
in Oriya Moukhika Shisu Sahitya which is also published in book form and popularize him
among the scholar and readers because in this thesis he collected the folk songs of Orissa which
are going to be abolished. He married to Smt. Binapani Sahoo D/o of Sri Raj Kishore Sahoo
who is a Headmaster of M.E. School of Bartanda village of Jajpur District in 12 June 1985.
Gitimaya Sahoo his son born in 1987 now he is working as software engineer at Infosys and
daughter Bulbul Priyadarshini Sahoo is reading in +3. After doing the social and educational
responsibility he engage himself to create a good moral poams for the betterment of children’s of
Orissa. He also active participation to develop the Oriya Children’s Literature through Research
Institute for Oriya Children’s Literature(RIOCL) established by Dr. Manindra Mohanty the first
scholar of Oriya Children’s Literature and his guide. He get the full support from his wife
Binapani Sahoo and two children’s to do something for the Oriya literature and language.
He also edit a children’s magazine name as BAGALABAGULI from 1981 to 1985. He is
founder secretary of Banaphula Sahitya Parishad, Sunabeda and Oriya Lekhaka Pathaka
Sammelan Semiliguda for the development of Oriya Literature at undivided Koraput district. He
started his profession career as instructor in Secretarial Practice and Hadidas Mahavidyalay,
Chhatia as well as Aeronautics college Sunabeda. Now he is working as a Lect. In Oriya at
Aeronautics College, Sunabeda. He has guided doctoral reaserach and also published many
research articles in various research journal of Orissa. He is member of many organization of
Orissa like Research Institute of Oriya Children’s Literature(RIOCL), AIJLC, Calcutta,
Banaphula Sahitya Parishad, Sunabeda, Oriya Lekhaka Pathaka Sammelan, Semiliguda, Oriya
Gabesana Parishad, Cuttack, Utkal Sahitya Samaj, Cuttack, Banaprabha Sahitya Parishad,
Sunabeda and many more organization of the state of Orissa. Selected writing in children’s
literature

 Phula Ame Phula 1992

 Agada Bagada Jhainki Jhumpa 1997
 Kalia Balada Galare Gala 2000
 Marinele Mohapatra 2000
  Uduuduma 2003
 Gachha Ama Jebana 2003
 Inchidi Minchidi 2003
 Aei Matira Manisha 2004
 Aainsi Mantara Kainsi Mantra 2004
 Gai Dia Pade Gita 2008
 Khara Barasa Gita 2008
 Biluananara Banabhoji 2008
 Hata Deba Bhala Kame 2009
 Basanta Kishore Rachanabali-I 2009

Criticism and Alochana

 Odiya Sishu Sahitya Alochana 1994

 Odiya Moukhika Sishu Sahitya(Ph.D. Thesis)1996
 Sampratika Shisu Sahitya O Sahityika 2000
 Odiya Shisu Sahityara Sahayak Pathyasuchi 2002

Other Publications

 Koraputra Parba Parbani 2005

 Koraputra Lokakatha 2005
 Ama Koraput 2005

Edited Books

 Koraput Parikrama (Edited) 1992

 Odishara Lokanatya(Edited) 1993
 Sampratika Shisu Sahitya(Edited) 2000
 Manindra Abhinandan Grantha(Edited) 2004
 Saraswata Sadhaka Dr. Jagannath Mohanty 2007
 Nanda Kishore Rachanabali 2007

Humor
  Kahaku Kahiba 2003

Hindi

 Bhaita Bhai 2003

Bangala

 Ekati Chand Aneka Tare 2004

English

 Who’s Who in Oriya Children’s Literature, Vol. I , 1995

 Who’s Who in Oriya Children’s Literature, Vol. I , 1997
 Drops of Nectar (Children’s Poem) 1998

* Edited Other Books and Magazines :

 Bagala Baguli (20 issues) 1981-1985

 Banaphula –I to 8 (8 volumes) 1986-96
 Koraput Parikrama (Poems) 1994
 Panchapakhuda (Collection of children’s Poems) 1992
 Deshatmabodhaka Kabita Samkalan 1992
 Bhagirathi Smaranika 2004
 Swarnakhetra-2006 2006
 Swarnakhetra-2007 2007
 Swarnakhetra-2008 2008
 Swarnakhetra-2009(Khetra Bisesanka) 2009
 Swarnakhetra-2010(Bhakta Bisesanka) 2010

 Aeronautica-VII Aeronautics College Magagine 1987-88

 Aeronautica-XI Aeronautics College Magagine 1991-92
 Aeronautica-XVII Aeronautics College Magagine 1997-98
 Aeronautica-XIX Aeronautics College Magagine 1999-2000
 Aeronautica-XXI Aeronautics College Magagine 2002-03
  Aeronautica-XIV Aeronautics College Magagine 2004-05
 Aeronautica-XV Aeronautics College Magagine 2005-06
 Aeronautica-XVI Aeronautics College Magagine 2006-07
 Aeronautica-XVII & XVIII Aeronautics College

Magagine 2008-09

List of languages by number of native

speakers in India
India is home to several hundred languages. Most languages spoken in India belong either to the
Indo-European (ca. 74%), the Dravidian (ca. 24%), the Austroasiatic (Munda) (ca. 1.2%), or the
Tibeto-Burman (ca. 0.6%) families, with some languages of the Himalayas still unclassified. The
SIL Ethnologue lists 415 living languages for India.

] Overview
Hindi (Standard Hindi in addition to many dialects of varying mutual intelligibility, forming a
macrolanguage) is the most widespread language of India. The Indian census takes the widest
possible definition of "Hindi" as a broad variety of "Hindi languages". The native speakers of
Hindi so defined accounts for about 43% of Indians and another 27 to 43% of national
population can understand or speak the language.

Indian English is recorded as the native language of 226,449 Indians in the 2001 census. English
is the second "language of the Union" besides Hindi.[1]

Thirteen languages account for more than 1% of Indian population each, and between themselves
for over 95%; all of them are "scheduled languages of the constitution." Scheduled languages
spoken by less than 1% of Indians are Santali (0.64%), Nepali (0.28%), Sindhi (0.25%),
Manipuri (0.14%), Bodo (0.13%), Dogri (0.01%), spoken in Jammu and Kashmir). The largest
language that is not "scheduled" is Bhili (0.95%), followed by Gondi (0.27%), Kumaoni
(0.21%), Tulu (0.17%) and Kurukh (0.10%)

List by number of native speakers

Further information: List of languages by number of native speakers

Ordered by number of speakers as first language. Indian population in 1991 exhibited 19.4% of
bilingualism and 7.2% of trilingualism, so that the total percentage of "native languages" is at
about 127%.
More than one million speakers

The 2001 census recorded 29 individual languages as having more than 1 million native speakers (0.1%
of total population).

Table: Ordered by number of native speakers

Encarta 2007
2001 census[2] 1991 census[3]
Rank Language (total population 1,004.59 (total population 838.14
estimate[4]
(worldwide
million) million)
speakers)
Speakers Percentage Speakers Percentage Speakers
1 Hindi [5]
422,048,642 41.03% 337,272,114[6] 40.0% 336 M
2 Bengali 83,369,769 8.11% 69,595,738 8.30% 207 M
3 Telugu 74,002,856 7.37% 66,017,615 7.87% 69.7 M
4 Marathi 71,936,894 6.99% 62,481,681 7.45% 68.0 M
5 Tamil 60,793,814 5.91% 53,006,368 6.32% 66.0 M
6 Urdu 51,536,111 5.01% 43,406,932 5.18% 60.3 M
7 Gujarati 46,091,617 4.48% 40,673,814 4.85% 46.1 M
8 Kannada 37,924,011 3.69% 32,753,676 3.91% 40.3 M
9 Malayalam 33,066,392 3.21% 30,377,176 3.62% 35.7 M
10 Odia 33,017,446 3.21% 28,061,313 3.35% 32.3 M
11 Punjabi 29,102,477 2.83% 23,378,744 2.79% 57.1 M
12 Assamese 13,168,484 1.28% 13,079,696 1.56% 15.4 M
13 Maithili 12,179,122 1.18%
14 Bhili/Bhilodi 9,582,957 0.95% 5,572,308 0.665%
15 Santali 6,469,600 0.64% 5,216,325 0.622%
16 Kashmiri 5,527,698 0.54%
17 Nepali 2,871,749 0.28%
18 Gondi 2,713,790 0.27% 2,124,852 0.253%
19 Sindhi 2,535,485 0.25% 2,122,848 0.248%
20 Konkani 2,489,015 0.24% 1,760,607 0.210%
21 Dogri 2,282,589 0.22%
22 Khandeshi 2,075,258 0.21%
23 Kurukh 1,751,489 0.17% 1,426,618 0.170%
24 Tulu 1,722,768 0.17% 1,552,259 0.185%
25 Meitei/Manipuri 1,466,705* 0.14% 1,270,216 0.151%
26 Bodo 1,350,478 0.13% 1,221,881 0.146%
27 Khasi 1,128,575 0.112%
28 Mundari 1,061,352 0.105%
29 Ho 1,042,724 0.103%

* Excludes figures of Paomata, Mao-Maram and Purul sub-divisions of Senapati district of

Manipur for 2001.
** The percentage of speakers of each language for 2001 has been worked out on the total
population of India excluding the population of Mao-Maram, Paomata and Purul subdivisions of
Senapati district of Manipur due to cancellation of census results.

100,000 to one million speakers

Rank Language Speakers Percentage

32 Kui 916,222
33 Garo 889,479
34 Kokborok 854,023
35 Mizo 674,756
36 Halabi 593,43
37 Korku 574,481
38 Munda 469,357
39 Mishing 390,583 0.047%
40 Karbi/Mikir 366,229 0.044%
41 Saurashtra 310,000 0.037%
42 Savara 273,168 0.033%
43 Koya 270,994 0.032%
44 Kharia 225,556 0.027%
45 Khond/Kondh 220,783 0.026%
46 English 178,598* 0.021%
47 Nishi 173,791 0.021%
48 Ao 172,449 0.021%
49 Sema 166,157 0.020%
50 Kisan 162,088 0.019%
51 Adi 158,409 0.019%
52 Rabha 139,365 0.017%
53 Konyak 137,722 0.016%
54 Malto 108,148 0.013%
55 Thado 107,992 0.013%
56 Tangkhul 101,841 0.012%

* There are 90 million speakers of English as a second or third language.

10,000 to 100,000 speakers

1991 census SIL estimate

115,000 (1997) Northwestern: 50,000; Southeastern:
57 Kolami 98,281 (0.012%)
10,000
58 Angami 97,631 (0.012%) 109,000 (1997)
59 Kodagu 97,011 (0.012%) 122,000
60 Dogri 89,681 (0.011%) (Pakistan+India: 2.1 million)
61 Dimasa 88,543 (0.011%) 106,000
62 Lotha 85,802 (0.010%) 80,000
63 Mao 77,810 (0.009%) 81,000
64 Tibetan 69,146 (0.008%) 124,280 (1994)
65 Kabui (Rongmei) 68,925 (0.008%) 59,000 (1997)
66 Phom 65,350 (0.008%) 34,000 (1997)

The following are SIL Ethnologue estimates:

estimated native speakers

Gaddi 120,000
Pardhi 119,700
Pardhan 116,919
Churahi 110,552
Sauria Paharia 110,000
Kullu 109,000
Dhanwar 104,195
Bhattiyali 102,252
Ladakhi 102,000
Dungra Bhil 100,000
Adiwasi Garasia 100,000
Rajput Garasia 100,000
Noiri 100,000
Jaunsari 97,000
Pnar 84,000
Andh 80,000
Mara 79,000 (India: 47,000 Myanmar:32,000)
Mawchi 76,000
Bishnupriya 75,000
Duruwa 75,000
Lodhi: 75,000
Bhadrawahi 69,000
Eastern Magar 67,691
Balti 67,000
Korwa 66,000
Mahali 66,000
Rana Tharu 64,000
Paniya 63,827
Rathwi Bareli 63,700
Rawang 60,536
Sansi 60,000
Kachari 59,000
Bazigar 58,236
Agariya 55,757
Kanjari 55,386
Mal Paharia 51,000
Poumei Naga 51,000
Bodo Parja 50,000
Hmar 50,000
Juang 50,000
Desiya Oriya 50,000
Kinnauri 48,778
Moinba 46,000
Paite 45,000
Tase Naga 45,000
Wancho Naga 45,000
Braj Bhasha 44,000
Buksa 43,000
Sangtam Naga 39,000
Lepcha 38,000
Kudmali 37,000
Yimchungru Naga 37,000
Gowli 35,000
Jennu Kurumba 35,000
Nocte Naga 35,000
Khirwar 34,251
Betta Kurumba 32,000
Chang Naga 31,000
Dangaura Tharu 31,000
Gadaba 31,000 (Pottangi Ollar: 15,000; Bodo: 8,000; Mudhili: 8,000)
Zeme Naga 30,800
Naga Pidgin 30,000
Car Nicobarese 30,000
Kurichiya 29,375
Mzieme Naga 29,000
Chenchu 28,754
Sikkimese 28,600
Limbu 28,000
Majhwar 27,958
Vaiphei 27,791
Ravula 27,413
Western Panjabi 27,386
Deori 26,900
Khoibu Naga 25,600
Falam Chin 25,367
Kanikkaran 25,000
Khiamniungan Naga 25,000
Maram Naga 25,000
Tutsa Naga 25,000
Sirmauri 25,000
Arakanese 24,000
Chokri Naga 24,000
Sholaga 24,000
Thangal Naga 23,600
Kamar 23,456
Apatani 23,000
Koch 23,000
Khezha Naga 23,000
Tiwa 23,000
Southern Rengma Naga 21,000
Shina 21,000
Gowlan 20,179
Kumarbhag Paharia 20,179
Savara 20,179
Matu Chin 20,000
Liangmai Naga 20,000
Ooty, Nilgiris 20,000
Sakechep 20,000
Seraiki 20,000
Sherpa 20,000
Toto 20,000
Khowar 19,200
Biete 19,000
Hajong 19,000
Reli 19,000
Manna-Dora 18,964
Hrangkhol 18,665
Bhunjia 18,601
Persian 18,000
Mukha-Dora 17,456
Maring Naga 17,361
Pangwali 17,000
Asuri 16,596
Dhatki 16,400
Malaryan 16,068
Malavedan 15,241
Gangte 15,100
Konda-Dora 15,000
Korra Koraga 15,000
Mudu Koraga 15,000
Kalto (Nahali) 15,000
Dhivehi (Mahl dialect) 15,000
Northern Pashto 15,000
Ullatan 14,846
Eastern Tamang 14,000
Anal 13,853
Northern Rengma Naga 13,000
Pochuri Naga 13,000
Western Muria 12,898
Muthuvan 12,219
Zangskari 12,006
Mirgan 12,000
War 12,000
Kaikadi 11,846
Idu-Mishmi 11,041
Pattani 11,000
Changthang 10,089
Degaru 10,089
Eastern Muria 10,089
Far Western Muria 10,089
Andaman Creole Hindi 10,000
Palya Bareli 10,000
Birhor 10,000
Lamkang 10,000
Inpui Naga 10,000
Spiti Bhoti 10,000
Vaagri Booli 10,000

Languages with official status in India

The official language of the Indian Union is Hindi with English as a secondary official
language;[1] states in India can legislate their own official languages.[1] Neither the Constitution of
India, nor any Indian law defines any national language.[2]

States specify their own official language(s) through legislation. The section of the Constitution
of India dealing with official languages therefore includes detailed provisions[3] which deal not
just with the languages used for the official purposes of the union,[4] but also with the languages
that are to be used for the official purposes of each state and union territory in the country,[5] and
the languages that are to be used for communication between the union and the states inter se.[6]

At the time the constitution entered into force, English was used for most official purposes both
at the federal level and in the various states.[citation needed] The constitution envisaged the gradual
phasing in of local languages, principally Hindi, to replace English over a fifteen-year period, but
gave Parliament the power to, by law, provide for the continued use of English even thereafter.
[citation needed]
Accordingly, English continues to be used today, in combination with Hindi (at the
central level and in some states) and other languages (at the state level).[citation needed]

The legal framework governing the use of languages for official purpose currently includes the
Constitution, the Official Languages Act, 1963, Official Languages (Use for Official Purpose of
the Union) Rules, 1976, and various state laws, as well as rules and regulations made by the
central government and the states.

Official languages of the Union

The Indian constitution, in 1950, declared Hindi in Devanagari script to be the official language
of the union.[7] Unless Parliament decided otherwise, the use of English for official purposes was
to cease 15 years after the constitution came into effect, i.e., on 26 January 1965.[8] The prospect
of the changeover, however, led to much alarm in the non Hindi-speaking areas of India,
especially Dravidian-speaking states whose languages were not related to Hindi at all. As a
result, Parliament enacted the Official Languages Act, 1963,[9][10][11][12][13][14] which provided for
the continued use of English for official purposes along with Hindi, even after 1965.

In late 1964, an attempt was made to expressly provide for an end to the use of English, but it
was met with protests from states such as Tamil Nadu, Kerala, West Bengal, Karnataka,
Puducherry and Andhra Pradesh. Some of these protests also turned violent.[15] As a result, the
proposal was dropped,[16][17] and the Act itself was amended in 1967 to provide that the use of
English would not be ended until a resolution to that effect was passed by the legislature of every
state that had not adopted Hindi as its official language, and by each house of the Indian
Parliament.[18]

The current position is thus that the Union government may continue to use English in addition
to Hindi for its official purposes[19] as a "subsidiary official language,"[20] but is also required to
prepare and execute a programme to progressively increase its use of Hindi.[21] The exact extent
to which, and the areas in which, the Union government uses Hindi and English, respectively, is
determined by the provisions of the Constitution, the Official Languages Act, 1963, the Official
Languages Rules, 1976, and statutory instruments made by the Department of Official Language
under these laws.

The language of Parliamentary proceedings and laws

The Indian constitution draws a distinction between the language to be used in Parliamentary
proceedings, and the language in which laws are to be made. Parliamentary business, according
to the Constitution, may be conducted in either Hindi or English.[22] The use of English in
parliamentary proceedings was to be phased out at the end of fifteen years unless Parliament
chose to extend its use,[23] which Parliament did through the Official Languages Act, 1963.[24] In
addition, the constitution permits a person who is unable to express himself in either Hindi or
English to, with the permission of the Speaker of the relevant House, address the House in his
mother tongue.[25]

In contrast, the constitution requires the authoritative text of all laws, including Parliamentary
enactments and statutory instruments, to be in English, until Parliament decides otherwise.[26]
Parliament has not exercised its power to so decide, instead merely requiring that all such laws
and instruments, and all bills brought before it, also be translated into Hindi, though the English
text remains authoritative.[27]

The language of the judiciary

The constitution provides that all proceedings in the Supreme Court of India, the country's
highest court and the High Courts, shall be in English.[28] Parliament has the power to alter this
by law, but has not done so.[29]

The language of administration

The Union government is required by law to progressively increase the use of Hindi in its official
work,[21] which it has sought to do through "persuasion, incentive and goodwill."[30]

The Official Language Act provides that the Union government shall use both Hindi and English
in most administrative documents that are intended for the public.[31] The Official Languages
Rules, in contrast, provide for a higher degree of use of Hindi in communications between
offices of the central government (other than offices in Tamil Nadu, to which the rules do not
apply[32]). Communications between different departments within the central government may be
in either Hindi or English, although a translation into the other language must be provided if
required.[33] Communications within offices of the same department, however, must be in Hindi
if the offices are in Hindi-speaking states,[34] and in either Hindi or English otherwise with Hindi
being used in proportion to the percentage of staff in the receiving office who have a working
knowledge of Hindi.[35] Notes and memos in files may be in either Hindi or English, with the
Government having a duty to provide a translation into the other language if required.[36]

In addition, every person submitting a petition for the redress of a grievance to a government
officer or authority has a constitutional right to submit it in any language used in India.[37]

Official language implementation

Various steps have been taken by the Indian government to implement the use and
familiarisation of Hindi extensively.[38] Regional Hindi implementation offices at Bangalore,
Cochin, Mumbai, Kolkata, Guwahati, Bhopal, Delhi and Ghaziabad have been established to
monitor the implementation of Hindi in Central government offices and PSUs. Annual targets are
set by the Department of Official Language regarding the amount of correspondence being
carried out in Hindi. A Parliament Committee on Official Language constituted in 1976
periodically reviews the progress in the use of Hindi and submits a report to the President.
Kendriya Hindi Samiti chaired by the Prime Minister was established in 1967. This apex policy
making body lays down the guidelines for the propagation of Hindi. Town Official Language
Implementation Committees are constituted in towns having ten or more Central Government
offices. Cash awards are given to the employees of the Central Government, for writing books in
Hindi. All Central government offices and PSUs are to establish Hindi Cells for implementation
of Hindi in their offices.

Official languages at the state level

The Indian constitution does not specify the official languages to be used by the states for the
conduct of their official functions, and leaves each state free to, through its legislature, adopt
Hindi or any language used in its territory as its official language or languages.[39] The language
need not be one of those listed in the Eighth Schedule, and several states have adopted official
languages which are not so listed. Examples include Kokborok in Tripura; Mizo in Mizoram;
Khasi, Garo, and Jaintia in Meghalaya; and French in Puducherry.

The language of the legislature and administration

The constitutional provisions in relation to use of the official language in legislation at the State
level largely mirror those relating to the official language at the central level, with minor
variations. State legislatures may conduct their business in their official language, Hindi or (for a
transitional period, which the legislature can extend if it so chooses) English, and members who
cannot use any of these have the same rights to their mother tongue with the Speaker's
permission.[40] The authoritative text of all laws must be in English, unless Parliament passes a
law permitting a state to use another language, and if the original text of a law is in a different
language, an authoritative English translation of all laws must be prepared.[41]

The state has the right to regulate the use of its official language in public administration, and in
general, neither the constitution nor any central enactment imposes any restriction on this right.
However, every person submitting a petition for the redress of a grievance to an officer or
authority of the state government has a constitutional right to submit it in any language used in
that state, regardless of its official status.[37]

In addition, the constitution grants the central government, acting through the President, the
power to issue certain directives to the government of a state in relation to the use of minority
languages for official purposes. The President may direct a State to officially recognise a
language spoken in its territory for specified purposes and in specified regions, if its speakers
demand it and satisfy him that a substantial proportion of the State's population desire its use.[42]
Similarly, States and local authorities are required to endeavour to provide primary education in
the mother tongue for all linguistic minorities, regardless of whether or not their language is
official in that State, and the President has the power to issue directions he deems necessary to
ensure that they are provided these facilities.[43]

The language of the judiciary

States have significantly less freedom in relation to determine the language in which judicial
proceedings in their respective High Courts will be conducted. The constitution gives the power
to authorise the use of Hindi, or the state's official language in proceedings of the High Court to
the Governor, rather than the state legislature, and requires the Governor to obtain the consent of
the President of India,[44] who in these matters acts on the advice of the Government of India. The
Official Languages Act gives the Governor a similar power, subject to similar conditions, in
relation to the language in which the High Court's judgments will be delivered.[45]

Four states - Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan[46]- have been granted the right
to conduct proceedings in their High Courts in their official language, which, for all of them, was
Hindi. However, the only non-Hindi state to seek a similar power - Tamil Nadu, which sought
the right to conduct proceedings in Tamil in its High Court - had its application rejected by the
central government earlier, which said it was advised to do so by the Supreme Court.[47] In 2006,
the law ministry said that it would not object to Tamil Nadu state's desire to conduct Madras
High Court proceedings in Tamil.[48][49][50][51][52] In 2010, the Chief Justice of the Madras High
Court allowed lawyers to argue cases in Tamil.[53]

Languages currently used In Indian states and union territories

States

No. State Official Language Other official languages

1. Andhra Pradesh Telugu[54] Urdu[55]
2. Arunachal Pradesh Assamese, English[56] None[57]
3. Assam Assamese[58] Bengali,[59] Bodo[58]
4. Bihar Maithili, Hindi[60] Urdu[61]
5. Chhattisgarh Chhattisgarhi, Hindi[62] None[62]
6. Goa Konkani[63]
7. Gujarat Gujarati,[64] Hindi[64]
8. Haryana Hindi[65] Punjabi [65][66]
9. Himachal Pradesh Hindi[67][68] None[68]
10. Jammu and Kashmir Urdu[69] None[70]
11. Jharkhand Hindi, Santali[71] None[71]
12. Karnataka Kannada[72][73] None[74]
13. Kerala Malayalam,[75] English[75]
14. Madhya Pradesh Hindi[76]
15. Maharashtra Marathi[77][78]
16. Manipur Meiteilon (Manipuri)[79] None[80]
17. Meghalaya English[81] Khasi, Garo[82]
18. Mizoram Mizo[83] None[83]
19. Nagaland English[84] None[84]
20. Orissa Oriya,[85] None[85]
21. Punjab Punjabi[86] None[86]
22. Rajasthan Hindi[87] Rajasthani[87]
23. Sikkim Nepali[88][89] None[90]
24. Tamil Nadu Tamil[91] None
25. Tripura Bengali, Kokborok, English[92] None[92]
26 Uttarakhand English, Hindi[93] Urdu,[93] Sanskrit[94]
27. Uttar Pradesh Hindi[95] Urdu[95]
28. West Bengal Bengali, English[96] Nepali[96]

Union Territories

Other officially recognised

No. Union Territory Official Language
languages
Andaman and Nicobar
1. Hindi, English[97] Bengali, Tamil, Telugu[citation needed]
Islands
2. Chandigarh Punjabi, Hindi, English
3. Dadra and Nagar Haveli Marathi, Gujarati
4. Daman and Diu Gujarati, English Marathi[63]
5. Delhi Hindi, English Urdu,[98] Punjabi[98]
6. Lakshadweep Malayalam
French, Tamil and English Malayalam (for Mahe), Telugu (for
7. Puducherry [99][100]
Yanam)[99]

The languages of the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution

The Eighth Schedule to the Indian Constitution contains a list of 22 scheduled languages. At the
time the constitution was enacted, inclusion in this list meant that the language was entitled to
representation on the Official Languages Commission,[101] and that the language would be one of
the bases that would be drawn upon to enrich Hindi, the official language of the Union.[102] The
list has since, however, acquired further significance. The Government of India is now under an
obligation to take measures for the development of these languages, such that "they grow rapidly
in richness and become effective means of communicating modern knowledge."[103] In addition, a
candidate appearing in an examination conducted for public service at a higher level is entitled to
use any of these languages as the medium in which he or she answers the paper.[104]

Via the 92nd Constitutional amendment 2003, 4 new languages – Bodo, Maithili, Dogri, and
Santali – were added to the 8th Schedule of the Indian Constitution.[105]

The following table lists the languages set out in the eighth schedule as of May 2007, together
with the regions where they are used:[106]

Speakers (2001,
Language Family State(s)
in millions)[107]
Indo-Aryan,
Assamese/Axomiya 13 Assam, Arunachal Pradesh
Eastern
Bengali Indo-Aryan, 83 in India West Bengal, Tripura, Andaman &
 Nicobar Islands and also few regions of
Eastern
Assam
Bodo Tibeto-Burman 1.4 Assam
Indo-Aryan,
Dogri 2.3 Jammu and Kashmir
Northwestern
Indo-Aryan, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and
Gujarati 46
Western Diu, Gujarat
Andaman and Nicobar Islands,
Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, Chandigarh,
Chhattisgarh, the national capital
Indo-Aryan,
Standard Hindi unknown[108] territory of Delhi, Haryana, Himachal
Central
Pradesh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh,
Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and
Uttarakhand
Kannada Dravidian 38 Karnataka.
Indo-Aryan,
Kashmiri 5.5 Jammu and Kashmir
Dardic
Indo-Aryan, 2.5 (7.6 per
Konkani Goa, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Kerala
Southern Ethnologue)
12 (32 in India in
Indo-Aryan,
Maithili 2000 per Bihar
Eastern
Ethnologue)
Kerala, Andaman and Nicobar Islands,
Malayalam Dravidian 33
Lakshadweep, Puducherry
Manipuri (also
Tibeto-Burman 1.5 Manipur
Meitei or Meithei)
Maharashtra, Goa, Dadra & Nagar
Indo-Aryan,
Marathi 72 Haveli, Daman and Diu, Madhya
Southern
Pradesh, Karnataka
Indo-Aryan,
Nepali 2.9 in India Sikkim, West Bengal, Assam
Northern
Indo-Aryan,
Oriya 33 Orissa
Eastern
Indo-Aryan,
Punjabi 29 in India Chandigarh, Delhi, Haryana, Punjab
Northwestern
Sanskrit Indo-Aryan 0.01 non-regional
Santhal tribals of the Chota Nagpur
Santhali Munda 6.5 Plateau (comprising the states of Bihar,
Chattisgarh, Jharkhand, Orissa)
Indo-Aryan,
Sindhi 2.5 in India non-regional
Northwestern
Tamil Nadu, Andaman & Nicobar
Tamil Dravidian 61
Islands, Puducherry;
Telugu Dravidian 74 Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Andhra
 Pradesh, Puducherry;
Indo-Aryan, Jammu and Kashmir, Andhra Pradesh,
Urdu 52 in India
Central Delhi, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh

Since 2003, a government committee has been looking into the feasibility of treating all
languages in the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution as "Official Languages of the Union".[109]

The language of Union-State and interstate communication

The language in which communications between different states, or from the union government
to a state or a person in a state, shall be sent is regulated by the Official Languages Act and, for
states other than Tamil Nadu, by the Official Languages Rules. Communication between states
who use Hindi as their official language is required to be in Hindi, whereas communication
between a state whose official language is Hindi and one whose is not is required to be in
English, or in Hindi with an accompanying English translation (unless the receiving state agrees
to dispense with the translation).[19]

Communication between the union and states which use Hindi as their official language
(classified by the Official Language Rules as "the states in Region A"), and with persons who
live in those states, is in Hindi, except in exceptional cases.[110] Communication with a second
category of states, which do not use Hindi as their official language but are willing to
communicate with the union in Hindi (currently Gujarat, Maharashtra, Punjab and
Chandigarh[111]) is usually in Hindi, whilst communications sent to an individual in those states
may be in either Hindi or English.[112] Communication with all other states, and with persons
living in them, is in English.[113]