Orissa Review Classicism of Odia Language Dr. G.K. Srichandan Man expresses his feelings and emotions through neighbouring languages are Hindi, Bengali, Telgu, sentences of any language-spoken or written. Tamil etc. In addition to this 62 denominations Thus, human beings use many words in sentences (communities) of tribals live within the State of of language which have come to us by oral use Odisha. Their spoken languages or dialects had for hundreds of thousand years. Words are have impact on Odia language for her evolution evolved and use for expression of man¶s inner and enrichment. feelings. We borrow such words from other languages also to supplement our own mother Except Surya dynasty rulers all other tongue. preceding dynasty rulers have come from outside and brought with them soldiers and officers The vocabulary of a language depends speaking their native language and after settling in on the richness or treasure of words accumulated Udra Desha had embraced the then prevailing and stored in that language by passage of time Odia language. That had impact on development from the time immemorial. Odia is the mother of the vocabulary of Odia language. language of the majority of the people of Odisha at present and also in the past. The present In 1568 Odisha empire lost her Odisha is the political entity with distinct boundary. sovereignty and independence on sudden and sad But outside Odisha there exists Odia speaking demise of the last independent and sovereign tracts which was the result or resultant of the Hindu king-emperor Gajapati Mukunda Deva in conquests made by the Ganga Vansi and Surya Gohiri Tikira battle field. Odisha was thereafter Vansi Gajapati emperors of Odisha expanding their ruled in succession by Afghans, Moghuls, empire from Ganga to Godavari or even beyond Marathas and lastly by the British till the 15th Krishna and Cauvery particularly during the time August 1947 when India along with Odisha got of Gajapati Kapileswar (Kapilendra) Deva, the independence from the foreign rule. founder of Surya dynasty in Utkal. These foreign rulers enforced their The geographical situation of Udra language as the official (court) language in Bhukanda or Udra Desha, now Odisha is such administration of Odisha. Odisha was segmented that it has been surrounded by other language and such segments/ parts were annexed with the speaking areas or provinces/states. Such other neighbouring presidencies and provinces for 54 February-March - 2011 Orissa Review convenience and administration from the foreign ³Ant-Vedic religion´ having rebellious attitude rulers¶ point of view. All these political changes towards µVedic-Karmakandas¶ spread into had have tremendous impact on the structural Kalinga. After µKalingan War¶ Asoka, the great advancement and making of Odia language till to emperor of Magadha embraced Buddhism and day. Eight distinct areas and their regional made all out efforts for spread of this µnew faith¶ attributes, so far the vocabulary of Odia language even to lands beyond the boundaries of the is concerned are to be taken into consideration present India subcontinent. while estimating its evolution, progressive development, assimilation and abundance. These History is silent whether Buddha came are 1) Southern, 2) Western, 3) Northern, to Kalinga (Odishan region) to preach his new 4) Eastern, 5) Central, 6) Peripheral, 7) Outlying faith. But Mahavir the 24th Teerthankar of Jainism tracts and 8) the areas under habitation by different in 6th century BC came to Kalinga to preach his tribal communities. faith since his father being a king was a personal friend of the then king of Kalinga and it was The words used and in vogue in the favourable and conducive for Mahavira to launch dialects or sub languages of all these areas have his mission in this ancient non-Aryan land. He come over to the mainstream of Odia language preached his faith in µPali-Prakrita¶ language from to build the edifice of the vocabulary of the mother the top of Kumar-Kumari hillocks(now known tongue of Odia people proper. as Khandagiri-Udayagiri hills). In very ancient time, this land known as When Asoka conquered Kalinga (261 Kalinga, Utkal and parts of South Koshal BC) he promulgated royal commandments (Dakshin Koshala) was non-Aryan in character (decrees) in µMagadhi-Prakrita¶ language. Rock so far the µways of life¶ of the original inhabitants edicts got erected by him at Dhauli and Jaugada of this extensive and vast land mass was (Samapa) near the present Purushottampur, concerned. Boudhyana, the then µLaw Giver¶ Ganjam district are glaring illustrations of this. called the people of Anga, Banga, Kalinga, Pundra, Sumha etc. as µSamkeerna yonayah¶ Later Aryan infiltration/migration along i.e.¶low bred¶. Up to the time Boudhayana the with Sanskrit language took place which people of this land of which the Odia speaking influenced the non-Sanskrit dialect/language of the tracts now constitute was not Aryanised / people of the ancient land of Odisha. Sanskrit Sanskritised. words were assimilated into the vocabulary of the then prevalent language which was a digested Since Sanskrit including the Vedic admixture of Pali (Kalinga Pali) and Magadhi language had little impact and influence on the Prakrita. µspoken language¶ of the people inhabiting this land, the two rival kingdom of Magadha and Mahameghabahana Aira Kharavela (40 Kalinga were non-Aryan and non-Brahminical BC), the emperor of Kalinga was a Jaina in faith for many centuries as a result of which Jainism and his Hati Gumpha inscription is in µKalinga Pali¶ and Buddhism flourished in these two kingdoms. language using µBrahmi script¶. We find many Gautam Buddha got enlightenment and preached words in this famous language of Pali used in Hati his new philosophy in Magadha. Later this new Gumpha inscription which are Sanskrit words or February-March - 2011 55 Orissa Review derived from Sanskrit and also prevalent in Odia trinity-poetics are literary glossary of vocabulary language. of Odia language in the 15th Century AD. Bharata Muni composed µNatya Below illustrated some Odia words Shashtram¶ which belongs to second century AD derived from different sources of having similarity (some scholars place µNatya shashtram µ with other languages : composed in 2nd century BC.) In Natya Shastram there is reference of µUdra Bibhasha¶ which was Vedic Odia then the mother tongue of the majority of the Toka/Tok Tokka people of µUdra Bhukhanda¶ (Udra Desha/ Udra Land). Gradually what happened the Kalinga Palli Nanaa/Nanee Nanaa/Nanee of Hatigumpha inscription and Magadhi Prakrita of Asokan edicts amalgamated with locally spoken Bikal Bikal dialect (if any and possibility is on affirmative side) Bishaya Bishaya to emerge as µUdra Bibhasha¶ most probably. No literature in Udra Bibhasha is forthcoming and Kharavela Hatigumpha Odia available at present except a few lines/ sentences Inscription available in Prakrita Vyakarana (grammar) namely µPrakrita Sarvaswa¶ of Markendeya Dasa. Ghar Ghar(House) Udra Bibhasha most possibly after Lekha Lekha undergoing evolution and transformation has lost Gopura Gopura its entity to submerge like river µPhalgu¶ in the sands of a dialect nearer or equivalent to µBoudha Corrupt Form : Gana and Doha¶ which flourished in 7th-8th century AD in this µUdra Bhukhanda¶. The Pachhima (Paschima in Sanskrit) -Pachhima language of the Boudha GanaO Doha is a corrupt µApabhramsha¶ (Sandhya) which is the prime Pathama (Pradhama in Sanskrit) ± Pathama shape and expression of Odia language as per Yoboraja (corrupt form of Yubaraj in Sanskrit) the opinion of historians and research scholars. Raja (King), Siri from µShree¶ When Hiuen Tsang, the famous Chinese pilgrim visited Ukkal (Utkal) he found here a Dutiya (Dwiteeya in Sanskrit) spoken language in use which was quite distinct from the languages prevalent then in other parts Tutia ± corrupt form of µTritiya¶ in Sanskrit of Indian subcontinent he came across during his Terasa (Terasa ± Terashaha ± Thirteen hundred) entourage. By that time, Odia language had crystallized into a distinct and separate language Naba (Na¶a) which gave birth to the great epic µMahabharat¶ in Odia language in the blessed hands of µAdikavi¶ µHathee¶ of Hatigumpha inscription has Sarala Das who also composed to his credit turned µHaatee¶ in Odia. Bata, Danda, Kothaghar, ³Chandi Purana¶ and ³Bilanka Ramayan´. These Paata, Daha (pond or tank full of water) etc. are 56 February-March - 2011 Orissa Review common in both Kharavelan language and modern have been taken into Odia language in original or Odia language. corrupt form. This is an attempt to illustrate how words Words from tribal dialects and languages from Vedic, Sanskrit, Pali and Prakrit have merged have entered into Odia and are in use vocabulary into Odia language in course of time which is as i.e. Kui, Kuvi, Kudami, Oram, Koya, Gond, old as minimum four thousand years. Juang, Desia, Bhadri, Bhuina, Munda, Mundari, Shabar, Saura, Santali, Halvi, Ho, etc. Of course, nearly 80% of Odia words have been derived from Sanskrit as scholars Inside regional sub-languages have also claim. Nevertheless, Odia is rightly and correctly contributed words to Odia vocabulary i.e. developed as the bosom younger sister of Baleswaria, Keojharia, Kotapad Boli, Sanskrit language. Odia has attained the µClassical Nayagadia, Phulbani Odia, Sambalpuri, Ganjami, State¶ along with Sanskrit and some other modern Kataki, Puria etc. If illustrations are given from Indian languages in terms of ancientry and each category it would be a full-fledged and full affluence of vocabulary with a grand distinct length dictionary. Hence, restrained to limit the grammar emerged on scientific basis. Odia discussion. Vyakarana (Odia grammar) composed by Pandit Special attributes and ancientry of Odia Neelakantha was published as back as 1933 while vocabulary: he was a teacher in Satyabadi Vana Vidyalaya established by Utkalmani Pandit Gopabandhu Linguistic experts opine that µpratyayas¶ Das in 1909 AD. like ni, µAnti¶µNitu¶, are in use in Greek, Latin, Vedic language from thousand and thousand years Our forefathers were skilled and adept ago.