The regional language of Orissa is Oriya. It has come from eastern Magadhi and belongs to the Aryan family of languages. Its origin can be traced to the sixth century AD. Oriya has close resemblance to Assamese, Bangla and Maithili. The language of Orissa has many linguistic variations. The language had a strong Buddhist and Jain influence in the beginning, but has evolved since then. Today modern Oriya language has been heavily influenced by Sanskrit. At the same time, it is also influenced by the tribal languages, as Orissa has a sizeable population of the tribals.

Oriya has various linguistic variations. They include Bhatri, Baleswari, Sambalpuri, Chhattisgarhi, and Medinipuri. In the early period, Oriya literature covered many poems and descriptions of religion, gods and goddesses. The earliest prose in Oriya are found in the Madala Panji or in the palm-leaf chronicles of the Jagannath temple in Puri. Sarala Dasa was a famous great poet of Orissa. He was known as the 'Vyasa' of Orissa. He wrote Vilanka Ramayana and Chandi Purana. The great poet also translated Mahabharata into Oriya. The first epic poem in Oriya is Rama-bibha, written by Arjuna Dasa. The standardization of the language took place only after the translation of classical texts into Oriya.

The works of Shri Chaitanya brought a great evolution in the religious literature of Orissa. The other main exponents in religious works were Balarama Dasa, Jagannatha Dasa, Yasovanta and Ananta.

The translation or imitation of Sanskrit literature also started in this period. The prominent works are the Rukmini-bibha of Kartikka Dasa, Usabhilasa of Sisu Sankara Dasa and the Rahasya Manjari of Deva Durlabha Dasa. These poets used simple and plain Oriya language. Kavyas or long poems were composed by poets like Sadasiva, Madhusudana, Bhima and Dhivara. Upendra Bhanja was the most notable poet during the 18th century. Literature relating to religious festivals and rituals had a great influence during this period.

The Christian missionaries introduced the first printing typeset in Orissa in 1836. This printing typeset resembled the Tamil script. The modern outlook and spirit in the Oriya literature was brought by the great poets like Raj Bahadur Radhanath Ray, Madhusudana Rao and Phakiramohana Senapati.

Umesha Sarakara, Gopala Praharaja and Divyasimha Panigrahi were the famous Oriya novelists of the 20th century. Sachi Kanta Rauta Ray brought post-modern style in Oriya poetry. Criticism and essays also became a major part in Oriya literature during this period.

Many poets and writers have made significant contributions towards the development of Oriya language. Oriya is one of the official languages of India. Oriya literature has offered much to the Indian civilization, in the field of art and literature.

To know more go to: