CLASSICAL ODIA Document Prepared Under the overall Supervision of Dr. Debi Prasanna Pattanayak (Padmashree) B.A. (Hons), M.A.in Odia, Utkal University (Gold Medalist). M.A. in Linguistics, Pune University. Diploma in French, Viswabharati University, Santiniketan, West Bengal Ph.D. in Linguistices, cornall, USA. D.litt(Honoris causa) SOA University, Bhubaneswar. Professer Emeritus: Pune University, Utkal University of Culture, Founder Director: Central Institute of Indian Languages, Mysore, Additional Secretary (Retd.): MHRD, Government of India, Chairman: Institute of Odia Studies and Research Subrat Kumar Prusty (UGC-NET-SRF) B.A. (Hons), M.A.(Odia) Ravenshaw University, LLB, Madhusudan Law Collage, Ph.D,(Cont.) P.G. Deptt. Of Odia, Utkal University, Vani Vihar, Bhubaneswar Editor- Civil Service Pathi Member secretary: Institute of Odia Studies and Research Director: IAS Pathi KIS Foundation D-82, Maitri Vihar, Chandrasekharpur Bhubaneswar, Odisha, 755001 © Institute of Odia Studies and Research Published by KIS Foundation D-82, Maitri Vihar, Chandrasekharpur Bhubaneswar, Odisha 755001 Email :
[email protected] Tel. : 0674-2300969 Edition : 2013 ISBN : 978-81-925616-3-9 Price : ` 1500 Printed at Vikas Printers, Naveen Shahdara, Delhi 110032 Tel. 22822514 Foreword Odia is one of the most ancient languages of India. Eminent linguists and scholars like John Beams, G.A Grierson, L.S.S O Malley, Suniti Kumar Chatterjee, Pandit Nilakantha Das, John Boulton, Dr. D.P. Pattnayak, Dr. Bijaya Prasad Mahapatra and others have time and again argued in favour of the antiquity of Odia language. Odisha is the only state, where discovered three types of Brhami script like -PreBrahmi, Brahmi & Post Brahmi-. The Indian script ‘o’ (tha) was discovered from yogimatha rock painting of Nuapada district.