V. 



An Account, Geographical, Statistical and Historical of 



Orissa Proper, or Cut tack. 



Iy A. STIRLING, Esq. 



PART I. 



General Description, Boundaries Ancient and Modern, Soil, Productions, 

 Geology, Rivers, Towns, Commerce, Population, Revenues, Political Insti- 

 tutions and Land Tenure. 



• THE extent and boundaries of the territory called Orissa, have under- 

 gone many and essential changes at different periods of its history, and 

 remain to this day very ill-defined and imperfectly understood. The cor- 

 responding Puranic division of Utkala Desa or in the vulgar tongue 

 Utkal K'hand reached on the north to Tumlook and Midnapore, taking 

 . in a portion of Rarha Des in Bengal, and south to the Rasikulia or 

 Rasikoila Nadi which flows into the sea at Ganjam. On the east it 

 was bounded by the ocean and the river Hoogly, and on the west by 

 Sonpur, JBunay, and other dependencies of Sembhelpur and Gon- 

 dwana, Or Desa, or Oresa, the old original seat of the Or or Odra 

 tribe, had anciently less extended limits, the Rasikulia river marking its 

 southern and the Kans Bans which passes near Soro, in latitude about 21°. 

 10'. N. its northern extreme ; but in the progress of migration and con- 

 quest, the Uria nation carried their name and language over a vast ex- 

 tent of territory, both on the sea shore and in the hills, including besides 

 Orissa properly so called, a portion of Bengal and of Telingana. Dur- 



u 2 



