334 M. M. Chakravarti —Language and Literature of Orissa. [No. 4, 
These five appear to he the oldest. The others are more or less 
compilations from these five. This is particularly the case with Kapila 
Samhita. So then, looking to the text, none of the existing guidebooks 
can be taken earlier than the thirteenth century A.D. 
These works profess to be divine revelations and thus give no clue 
to their human authors. From the subject matter I conclude that they 
were probably composed by the Sasani Brahmins or Sebaits of the 
temples. As literary compositions they show no special merits. The 
legendary origin of each temple, tank, tree, &c., is narrated, and the 
innumerable benefits which will accrue by visiting them and by offering 
gifts therein are dwelt upon with tedious repetitions. The language is 
easy ; the versification bald and unornamented ; the narration prolix and 
wearisome ; while the poetry is dull and nowhere rises above ordinary 
level. Prose would have served as well the purposes of these Mahat- 
myas, but for the fact that the priests and the guide Pandas needed 
accounts which can be recited from memory. Extracts from most of 
these guidebooks can be seen in extenso in Dr. R. L. Mitra’s Antiquities 
of Orissa, Yol. II. 
B. Besides the worship of gods and the conducting of pilgrims, 
the Brahmins undertook other functions. They had to conduct the 
daily or periodical religious or socio-religious ceremonies, and they had 
to give vyavasthds or advices on social or religious questions. For 
these purposes in towns or Head-Quarters of Chiefs, Court Pandits 
were employed, while in the mofussil the Sasani Brahmins were con¬ 
sulted. To discharge these functions with credit, the old Smrtis or 
lawbooks of Manu, Yajnavalkya and others were carefully studied, 
aud later on local treatises were compiled. Of these treatises the earlier 
ones appear to be lost, the earliest of those now existing not being older 
than 14th century A.D. 
Probably these later works have survived not simply because 
they came late, but for another reason. From the 14th century down¬ 
wards I notice a revival of Sanskrit learning in Orissa. This revival is 
probably due to the rise of Vidyanagara in the south and the close con¬ 
nexion of Orissa with that kingdom. In the beginning of the 14th century 
Vidyanagara had come to be the centre of all kinds of Sankrit studies ; 
and Madhavacarya 1 and Sayanacarya at the head of numerous Pandits 
were exceedingly active in editing and commenting on the Yedic and 
Sanskrit classics. This literary activity of the Vidyanagara scholars 
must have stirred considerably the Pandits of Orissa, particularly as 
in the reigns of the Suryavari^a Kings (1434-1540 A.D. P) Orissa came 
l According to Burnell, Madhavacarya composed his numerous works between 
1331 and 1386 A. D. 1. c. Weber’s Hist. Ind, Lit. p. 41 note. * 
