319 
.1897.] M. M. Chakravarti — Language ajid Literature of Orissa. 
lime of Hi non Thsang the language of Orissa appears to have deve¬ 
loped into a separate form of speech. While describing U-cha Hiuen 
Thsang remarks k.; . .. . c . j ■ ,. i . . 
“ The climate is hot; the people are uncivilised,tall of stature and 
of a yellowish black complexion. Their ivords and language (pronuncia¬ 
tion) differ from Central India. They love learning and apply themselves 
to it without intermission.” 
Similarly of the next country Kong-u-to he wrote:— 
“ With respect to their written characters they are the same as 
those of Mid-India, but their language and mode of promlnciation are 
quite different ; . ; 
U-cha is generally identified with northern Orissa, and Kong-u-to 
with southern Orissa. Hiuen Thsang’s visit to Orissa may be 
approximately put at 640 A.D. 1 2 By the seventli century A.D. therefore 
the language of Orissa had, grown different from that of the up- 
country both in pronunciation and vocabulary, atid its first origin must 
be put several centuries back. , j . t , 
The next authentic mention of the Ofiya was to be found in 
Krsna Pandit’s Prakrtacandrika. Krsna Pandit’s date is uncertain, but 
be cannot be later than 32th : century. He mentions Udra as one of 
the twenty-seven Apabhram^as prevailing over India. 3 Neither Hiuen 
Thsang nor Kr$na Pandit quotes any Oriya words or sentences. The 
earliest mention of Oriya words alone is at present to be found in the 
copper-plate inscription of King Narasimha Deva II (1296 A.D.), 3 
and of Oj-iya sentences in the copper-plate inscriptions of King 
Narasimha Deva TV, (1395 A.D.). 4 These words and sentences are 
given in the grant portions of the inscriptions. They show the 
Oriya language fully developed, and little different from the modern 
language either in spelling or grammar. This fixity of the language 
five to six hundred- yearS back presupposes a tolerably high antiquity 
for its origin,,and thus corroborates the remarks of the observant and 
careful Hiuen Thsang. The common opinion that the modern verna¬ 
culars have been brought into existence by the 9th or 10th Century 
does not appear to be correct, at least with regard to the Oriya ; and 
the 5th or 6th Century would be nearer tlie truth. 
' - / i "I t 
1 See my article on E. India in the 7th Century, National Magazine, 1895. 
2 Baba N. N. Yksa’s article, on “ Nagaras and the Nagari alphabets,” Journ. 
As. Soc. Bengal, Yol. LXY, 1896, pt.I, p. 16. V t . 1 
8 Edited by Babu N. N. Yasn, above Yol. LXY, 1896, pp. 254-6 an d 1 vide Pro¬ 
ceedings, November, 1897. 
4 My article, Journ. As. Soc. Bengal, Yol. LXIY, 1895, Pt.. I, No. 3, pp. 136, 
149-154.' 
