85-900: Pushpagiri ( Odia : ପୁଷ୍ପଗିରି) was an ancient Indian mahavihara or monastic complex located atop Langudi Hill (or Hills) in Jajpur district of Odisha , India. Pushpagiri was mentioned in the writings of the Chinese traveller Xuanzang ( c. 602 – c. 664 ) and some other ancient sources. Until the 1990s, it was hypothesised to be one or all of the Lalitgiri - Ratnagiri - Udayagiri group of monastic sites, also located in Jajpur district. These sites contain ruins of many buildings, stupas of various sizes, sculptures (many now removed to museums), and other artifacts. However, archaeological excavations conducted at Langudi Hills during 1996-2006 resulted in
170-542: A central doorway flanked on both sides by three niches, was exceptionally elaborate, and has been reconstructed by the ASI, replacing missing elements with matching shaped but undecorated stone blocks. This was a later addition, called by Reichle the "third facade to rear shrine". The carving includes numerous small figures, often now hard to identify. This now stands alone in the courtyard, not quite in its original position. Monastery 2, next to Monastery 1 but much smaller, features
255-483: A central paved courtyard flanked by a pillared veranda around which are eighteen cells, a central shrine featuring an image of Shakyamuni in Varada Mudra flanked by Brahma and Sakra, and elaborately ornamented entrance porticos. It only had a single story. It may have been the first to be built, as Mitra dates the first construction to about the 5th century (as opposed to the 8th for Monastery 1), with more building in
340-554: A few (27) bronze and brass figures, excavated at the site are mostly in the "Post-Gupta" style, the earlier ones continuing the classic style of Gupta art . They are mostly images of Buddha and the Buddhist pantheon, and analysis of the trends in subjects over time suggests that Ratnagiri turned to become a centre of Tantric Buddhism , as did Nalanda in Bihar . In particular, over two dozen colossal Buddha heads have been found. Monastery 1
425-698: A long literary history and not having borrowed extensively from other languages. The earliest known inscription in Odia dates back to the 10th century CE. Odia is an Eastern Indo-Aryan language belonging to the Indo-Aryan language family. It descends from Odra Prakrit which itself evolved from Magadhi Prakrit . The latter was spoken in east India over 1,500 years ago, and is the primary language used in early Jain and Buddhist texts. Odia appears to have had relatively little influence from Persian and Arabic , compared to other major Indo-Aryan languages. The history of
510-608: A magnet. A 3rd century inscription of the Andhra Ikshvaku king Vira-purusha-datta, found at Nagarjunakonda (in present-day Andhra Pradesh), mentions that an upasika named Bodhisiri made numerous endowments to Buddhist establishments. One of these included sponsoring the erection of a stone mandapa at "Puphagiri". According to Thomas E. Donaldson, this is likely same as the Pushpagiri mentioned in Xuanzang's records ("Puphagiri" being
595-453: A metre. Most of the smaller ones show a seated deity figure in a niche on one side, and many are decorated with lotus petals and beaded tassels around their shaft. These are mostly carved from a single piece of stone. Many Indian Buddhist sites have some of these, but at Ratnagiri there are more than 700 of them in total, which is an exceptionally large number, and they represent an exceptional range of deities, with 22 identified. Some 535 of
680-426: A positive lifestyle. Distinguished prose writers of the modern period include Baidyanath Misra , Fakir Mohan Senapati , Madhusudan Das , Godabarisha Mohapatra, Kalindi Charan Panigrahi, Surendra Mohanty , Manoj Das , Kishori Charan Das , Gopinath Mohanty, Rabi Patnaik, Chandrasekhar Rath, Binapani Mohanty, Bhikari Rath, Jagadish Mohanty , Sarojini Sahoo , Yashodhara Mishra , Ramchandra Behera, Padmaja Pal. But it
765-469: A restoration of the main stupa. Unlike, for example, the Ajanta Caves , which were completely forgotten for centuries (except by local villagers), the ruins of Ratnagiri were known about, and are briefly discussed in government reports from the late 19th century onwards, with "brief articles by scholars" from the 1920s onwards. However, Debala Mitra records that when the main ASI excavation began in 1958,
850-698: A rich literary heritage dating back to the thirteenth century. Sarala Dasa who lived in the fourteenth century is known as the Vyasa of Odisha. He wrote the Mahabharata into Odia. In fact, the language was initially standardised through a process of translating or transcreating classical Sanskrit texts such as the Mahabharata, Ramayana and the Bhagavad Gita . The translation of the Bhagavatam by Atibadi Jagannatha Dasa
935-481: A significant Odia speaking population. Additionally, due to economic pursuits, significant numbers of Odia speakers can be found in Indian cities such as Vishakhapatnam , Hyderabad , Pondicherry , Bangalore , Chennai , Goa , Mumbai , Raipur , Jamshedpur , Vadodara , Ahmedabad , New Delhi , Guwahati , Shillong , Pune , Gurgaon , Jammu and Silvassa . The Odia diaspora is sizeable in several countries around
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#17328695446311020-500: A sizeable Odia-speaking population, particularly in Sonitpur , Tinsukia , Udalguri , Sivasagar , Golaghat , Dibrugarh , Cachar , Nagaon , Karimganj , Karbi Anglong , Jorhat , Lakhimpur , Baksa , Kamrup Metropolitan , Hailakandi district of Assam and West Tripura , Dhalai , North Tripura district of Tripura. Similarly, due to increasing worker migration in modern India, the western states Gujarat and Maharashtra also have
1105-482: A thesis and article were published. There was a further ASI campaign in 1997–2004, which concentrated on moving the temple which had been built over a stupa. The large amount of sculpture surviving has been analysed in a number of publications. The identification and iconography of the figures in sculpture at Ratnagiri have been the subject of considerable analysis, although much remains uncertain. The exceptionally large number and range of figures shown, above all on
1190-449: A translator of a fictive Odia short story writer. The novella contains a discussion of the perils of translating works composed in regional Indian languages into English. Four writers in Odia – Gopinath Mohanty , Sachidananda Routray , Sitakant Mahapatra and Pratibha Ray – have been awarded the Jnanpith , an Indian literary award. The following is a sample text in Odia of Article 1 of
1275-417: A turn towards esoteric Buddhism. Examples include Heruka . Two small scenes, now difficult to interpret, seem to show erotic activity combined with the cutting of hair. These are very rare, and may relate to the practice, described in some Hindu Tantric texts but no known Buddhist ones, of offering both semen and cut hair to a deity ( Kali especially). They are on the later second and third facades to
1360-421: A vowel. Some speakers distinguish between single and geminate consonants . Odia retains most of the cases of Sanskrit , though the nominative and vocative have merged (both without a separate marker), as have the accusative and dative. There are three genders (masculine, feminine and neuter) and two grammatical numbers (singular and plural). However, there are no grammatical genders . The usage of gender
1445-408: A zone with stylized lotus petals, usually seen on curved surfaces, and "quite unique" as a flattened pattern. The outer side elements switch from green chlorite to red stone in mid-composition in the large plant scroll inhabited by playing putti ( gelabai ), with some bodies half in one stone and half in the other. Across the top lintel there was a relief of vidyadhara figures, of which only
1530-677: Is a member of the Executive Committee of Utkal Sahitya Samaj. Another illustrious writer of the 20th century was Chintamani Das. A noted academician, he was written more than 40 books including fiction, short stories, biographies and storybooks for children. Born in 1903 in Sriramachandrapur village under Satyabadi block, Chintamani Das is the only writer who has written biographies on all the five 'Pancha Sakhas' of Satyabadi namely Pandit Gopabandhu Das, Acharya Harihara, Nilakantha Das, Krupasindhu Mishra and Pandit Godabarisha. Having served as
1615-421: Is believed to be a major ancient centre of learning. It flourished between 3rd and 11th centuries CE. The Chinese traveler Xuanzang (c. 602–644) describes a sangharama (monastery) named Pu-se-p'o-k'i-li in the south-west region of a country, whose name is variously transliterated as U-Cha or Wu-T-U . Scholars such as Stanislas Julien and Samuel Beal restored Pu-se-po-k'i-li as "Pushpagiri", and name of
1700-417: Is easily accessible from the urban centres of Cuttack and Bhubaneswar . The best months to visit the place are during October to February which are the cooler months. Odia language Odia ( / ə ˈ d iː ə / ; ଓଡ଼ିଆ , ISO : Oṛiā , pronounced [oˈɽia] ; formerly rendered as Oriya ) is a classical Indo-Aryan language spoken in the Indian state of Odisha . It
1785-406: Is given phonemic status in some analyses, as it also occurs as a terminal sound, e.g. ଏବଂ- ebaṅ /ebɔŋ/ Nasals assimilate for place in nasal–stop clusters. /ɖ ɖʱ/ have the near-allophonic intervocalic flaps [ɽ ɽʱ] in intervocalic position and in final position (but not at morpheme boundaries). Stops are sometimes deaspirated between /s/ and a vowel or an open syllable /s/ +vowel and
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#17328695446311870-451: Is inextricably tied to music, and most of it was written for singing, set to traditional Odissi ragas and talas. These compositions form the core of the system of Odissi music , the classical music of the state. Three great poets and prose writers, Kabibar Radhanath Ray (1849–1908), Fakir Mohan Senapati (1843–1918) and Madhusudan Rao (1853–1912) made Odia their own. They brought in a modern outlook and spirit into Odia literature. Around
1955-472: Is much the largest of the three monasteries, with an overall size of 55 square metres, including 21 square metres for the paved central courtyard. It had at least two storeys, but everything above the ground floor has now collapsed. There are 24 surviving cells on the ground floor, relatively large and probably occupied by more than one monk. One was used as the monastery treasury. They are windowless, and were fitted with wooden doors, and probably locks. Across
2040-495: Is not contrastive. The vowel [ ɛ ] can also be heard as an allophone of / e / , or as an allophone of the coalescence of the sequences /j + a/ or /j + ɔ/ . Final vowels are pronounced in the standard language, e.g. Odia [pʰulɔ] contrasts Bengali [pʰul] "flower". Odia retains the voiced retroflex lateral approximant [ ɭ ] , among the Eastern Indo-Aryan languages. The velar nasal [ ŋ ]
2125-411: Is poetry that makes modern Odia literature a force to reckon with. Poets like Kabibar Radhanath Ray , Sachidananda Routray, Guruprasad Mohanty, Soubhagya Misra, Ramakanta Rath , Sitakanta Mohapatra, Rajendra Kishore Panda, Pratibha Satpathy have made significant contributions towards Indian poetry. Anita Desai 's novella, Translator Translated , from her collection The Art of Disappearance , features
2210-506: Is semantic, i.e. to differentiate male members of a class from female members. There are three tenses coded via affixes (i.e., present, past and future), others being expressed via auxiliaries. The Odia language uses the Odia script (also known as the Kalinga script). It is a Brahmic script used to write primarily the Odia language and others like Sanskrit and several minor regional languages. The script has developed over nearly 1000 years, with
2295-473: Is the official language in Odisha (formerly rendered as Orissa), where native speakers make up 82% of the population, and it is also spoken in parts of West Bengal , Jharkhand , Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh . Odia is one of the many official languages of India ; it is the official language of Odisha and the second official language of Jharkhand. The Odia language has various dialects varieties, including
2380-416: Is the great introducer of the ultra-modern style in modern Odia poetry. Others who took up this form were Godabarisha Mohapatra, Mayadhar Mansingh , Nityananda Mahapatra and Kunjabihari Dasa. Prabhasa Chandra Satpathi is known for his translations of some western classics apart from Udayanatha Shadangi, Sunanda Kara and Surendranatha Dwivedi. Criticism, essays and history also became major lines of writing in
2465-490: Is the site of a ruined mahavihara , once the major Buddhist monastery in modern Odisha , India. It is located on a hill in between the Brahmani and Birupa rivers in Jajpur district . It is close to other Buddhist sites in the area, including Lalitagiri and Udayagiri , and 100 km (62 mi) from the state capital Bhubaneswar and 70km from the former state capital Cuttack . The Buddhist monuments were constructed from
2550-560: The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) started excavation at Lalitgiri to confirm its relation to Pushpagiri. The excavation led to several important archaeological discoveries, but none of these confirmed the identification of Lalitgiri with Pushpagiri. In the 1990s, college lecturer Harish Chandra Prusty discovered a Buddhist site on the Langudi Hill in Jajpur district . This is some 18 km (11 mi) distant from Udaygiri,
2635-523: The Baleswari Odia (Northern dialect), Kataki (central dialect), Ganjami Odia (Southern dialect), Sundargadi Odia (Northwestern dialect), Sambalpuri (Western dialect), Desia (South-western dialect) and Tribal Community dialects who spoken by the tribals groups in Odisha who adopted the Odia language. Odia is the sixth Indian language to be designated a classical language , on the basis of having
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2720-581: The Bhanja Age (also known as the Age of Riti Yuga) beginning with turn of the 18th century, verbally tricky Odia became the order of the day. Verbal jugglery and eroticism characterise the period between 1700 and 1850, particularly in the works of the era's eponymous poet Upendra Bhanja (1670–1720). Bhanja's work inspired many imitators, of which the most notable is Arakshita Das. Family chronicles in prose relating religious festivals and rituals are also characteristic of
2805-624: The Pag Sam Jon Zang , identifies Ratnagiri as an important centre in the development of the Kalachakratantra in the 10th century, an assertion supported by the discovery of a number of votive stupas , plaques, and other artifacts featuring Kalachakra imagery. It was thought, with Lalitgiri and Udaigiri nearby, to be the Pushpagiri Vihara mentioned by the 7th-century Chinese pilgrim Hiuen Tsang , but this has been thrown into doubt by
2890-820: The Pali form of the Sanskrit "Pushpagiri), and was located in the present-day Odisha. Pratapaditya Pal notes that if this identification is true, the site in Odisha must have been established by at least 3rd century. However, some other scholars, such as Dineshchandra Sircar and B. S. L. Hanumantha Rao, identify this "Puphagiri" with Pushpagiri Temple Complex in the present-day Cuddapah District of Andhra Pradesh . The 9th century Buddhist monk Prajna , after spending 18 years in various places including Nalanda , settled in an unnamed monastery of Wu-ch'a (identified with Odra), before going to China. A few scholars, such as Prabhat Mukherjee, identify this monastery with Pushpagiri. Xuanzang ,
2975-618: The Patna Museum , Indian Museum, Kolkata , National Museum, New Delhi , and Odisha State Museum in Bhubaneswar. The only holding outside India mentioned by Donaldson is a figure in the Brooklyn Museum , New York. Together with the comparable nearby monastic sites of Lalitgiri and Udayagiri , it is part of the so-called "Diamond Triangle" of the "Ratnagiri-Udayagiri-Lalitgiri" sites. It used to be thought that one or all of these were
3060-610: The Universal Declaration of Human Rights ( ମାନବିକ ଅଧିକାରର ସାର୍ବଜନୀନ ଘୋଷଣା ): Odia in the Odia script Odia in IAST Odia in the IPA Gloss Translation Google introduced the first automated translator for Odia in 2020. Microsoft too incorporated Odia in its automated translator later that year. Ratnagiri, Odisha Ratnagiri ( Odia : ରତ୍ନଗିରି, meaning "hill of jewels")
3145-744: The 14th century, the poet Sarala Das wrote the Sarala Mahabharata, Chandi Purana, and Vilanka Ramayana, in praise of the goddess Durga . Rama-Bibaha, written by Arjuna Dasa, was the first long poem written in the Odia language. The following era is termed the Panchasakha Age and stretches until the year 1700. Notable religious works of the Panchasakha Age include those of Balarama Dasa , Jagannatha Dasa , Yasovanta, Ananta and Acyutananda . The authors of this period mainly translated, adapted, or imitated Sanskrit literature. Other prominent works of
3230-570: The 3rd century, BCE. Deuli, a hill situated in the confluence of the Brahmani and Kimiria rivers, has preserved five rock-cut Buddhist chambers inside caves. Additional Buddhist sites have been discovered at Bajragiri, Sarapur and Paikrapur. The Langudi sites are perhaps the largest historic Buddhist complex in India. Langudi can be approached from Jaraka and Chandikhol on the National Highway 5 , and
3315-541: The 5th century CE onwards, with the last work in the 13th century, and the peak period of work done between about the 7th to 10th centuries. After perhaps the 16th century the site ceased to be used and fell into ruins. These were little known until the 1960s when major campaigns of excavations by the Archaeological Survey of India ("ASI") revealed the site, producing large quantities of very fine sculpture. Monastery 1 has been described as "the finest in terms of carved stone decoration to have survived in India". Some of this
3400-416: The 7th and 11th centuries. Monastery 3 is on a small hillock to the north-west, and much smaller again, with only three cells in a row, and a portico. The main stupa dates to the 9th century and was likely built on the site of an earlier, Gupta -era stupa. It is on the highest point in the site and has a square base, 47 feet (14 m) metres on each side. The stupa is now 17 feet (5.2 m) high, but
3485-578: The ASI took over the excavated site. In 2005, the Odisha State Government began developing the Langudi Hills site as a tourist place by constructing roads and other facilities. There are other Buddhist attractions around Langudi hills. Kaima hill, in its immediate vicinity, contains a unique rock-cut elephant surrounded by four monolithic khondalite pillars; this dates from the Mauryan period in
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3570-530: The Chinese Buddhist scholar and traveler, visited the site and referred to it as "Puspagiri." The Mahastupa located here is one of the ten illustrious stupas that Emperor Ashoka is said to have erected. In the 20th century, a number of scholars identified the Pushpagiri mentioned in Xuanzang's records with various sites in present-day Odisha. Ramaprasad Chanda (1930) of the Archaeological Survey of India believed that either Udayagiri or Lalitgiri could be
3655-839: The Head of the Odia department of Khallikote College, Berhampur, Chintamani Das was felicitated with the Sahitya Akademi Samman in 1970 for his outstanding contribution to Odia literature in general and Satyabadi Yuga literature in particular. Some of his well-known literary creations are 'Bhala Manisha Hua', 'Manishi Nilakantha', 'Kabi Godabarisha', 'Byasakabi Fakiramohan', 'Usha', 'Barabati'. 20th century writers in Odia include Pallikabi Nanda Kishore Bal , Gangadhar Meher , Chintamani Mahanti and Kuntala Kumari Sabat , besides Niladri Dasa and Gopabandhu Das . The most notable novelists were Umesa Sarakara, Divyasimha Panigrahi, Gopala Chandra Praharaj and Kalindi Charan Panigrahi . Sachi Kanta Rauta Ray
3740-464: The Muslim invasions of the 12th century, which completely destroyed the greatest centre in the region at Nalanda . By the end of the 13th century, Ratnagiri was in decline, and new work ceases. Through no longer in an affluent condition the Buddhist establishment at Ratnagiri is thought to have continued until about the 16th century, during which there was a "modest revival of structural activity", including
3825-497: The Odia language is divided into eras: Jayadeva was a Sanskrit poet. He was born in an Utkala Brahmin family of Puri around 1200 CE. He is most known for his composition, the epic poem Gita Govinda , which depicts the divine love of the Hindu deity Krishna and his consort, Radha, and is considered an important text in the Bhakti movement of Hinduism. About the end of the 13th century and
3910-488: The Odia language. Esteemed writers in this field were Professor Girija Shankar Ray, Pandit Vinayaka Misra, Professor Gauri Kumara Brahma, Jagabandhu Simha and Harekrushna Mahatab . Odia literature mirrors the industrious, peaceful and artistic image of the Odia people who have offered and gifted much to the Indian civilisation in the field of art and literature. Now Writers Manoj Das 's creations motivated and inspired people towards
3995-617: The beginning of the 14th, the influence of Jayadeva's literary contribution changed the pattern of versification in Odia. Distribution of Odia language in the state of India According to the 2011 census, there are 37.52 million Odia speakers in India , making up 3.1% of the country's population. Among these, 93% reside in Odisha. Odia is also spoken in neighbouring states such as Chhattisgarh (913,581), Jharkhand (531,077), Andhra Pradesh (361,471), and West Bengal (162,142). Due to worker migration as tea garden workers in colonial India, northeastern states Assam and Tripura have
4080-409: The book form. Brajabandhu Mishra's Basanta Malati, which came out from Bamanda, depicts the conflict between a poor but highly educated young man and a wealthy and highly egoistic young woman whose conjugal life is seriously affected by ego clashes. Through a story of union, separation and reunion, the novelist delineates the psychological state of a young woman in separation from her husband and examines
4165-518: The clay seals mentioned above, only three inscriptions of any significance have been found at the site, all extracts from Buddhist texts, in two cases dealing with the rewards accruing to those who erect stupas. One is carved on stone slabs, another written on terracotta plaques before firing, and one engraved on the back of a sculpture. A growing number of images of " wrathful deities ", that is, fierce "aspects" of enlightened Buddhas , Bodhisattvas or Devas (divine beings), may be taken as evidence of
4250-797: The closest of the "triangle" sites, further up the river. In 1993, he and Pradeep Mohanty described the Langudi site in an article published in the Bulletin of the Deccan College Research Institute . In 1996, the Orissa Institute of Maritime and South East Asia Studies and the Odisha state's archaeology department started exploring the site. Between 1996 and 2006, the Institute carried out excavations of an area stretching over 143 acres (0.58 km). A fragmented Brahmi inscription discovered at
4335-468: The country as Ota or "Udra". Scholars identify this country as Odra in present-day Odisha. Xuanzang describes the monastery as follows: In the south-west of the country was the Pu-sie-p'o-k'i-li monastery in a mountain; the stone top of this monastery exhibited supernatural lights and other miracles, sunshades placed by worshippers on it between the dome and the amalaka remained there like needles held by
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#17328695446314420-483: The courtyard from the entrance, which has two layers of porch, is the main shrine, whose elaborately sculpted facade is now isolated in the courtyard. The main shrine image is a colossal seated Buddha, 12 feet (3.7 m) high including the base, flanked by smaller standing figures of Padmapani and Vajrapani holding chamaras . These are in chlorite, with the Buddha carved in a number of horizontal sections. Monastery 1
4505-414: The courtyard, with a spacious shrine centred on a colossal Buddha . The buildings are mainly in brick (much of which has now been removed), but the doorways, pillars and sculpture are mostly in two types of stone, which contrast attractively. These are a "blue-green chlorite and the local khondalite , a garniferous gneiss with plum-coloured overtones". The large numbers of sculptures in stone, with
4590-448: The discovery in the 1990s of a previously unknown site in the area on Langudi Hill, which may be Pushpagiri. The hundreds of small votive stupas at Ratnagiri suggest it was an important site for pilgrimage, and it was very likely connected to the important trade networks of ancient Kalinga , which stretched to South-East Asia . North-East India, Bengal and Odisha, was the last stronghold of Buddhism in India, though greatly weakened by
4675-442: The discovery of another site, with inscriptions describing the local monastery as puṣpa sabhar giriya , and identified by the excavators as Pushpagiri. This has now become the general view among scholars. The site has now been made accessible for tourism. The visit of Xuanzang indicates that Pushpagiri was an important Buddhist site in ancient India. Along with Nalanda , Vikramashila , Odantapuri , Takshashila and Vallabhi , it
4760-552: The earlier phase as well. The issue revolves around the choice of deities, and the form, aspect or just the pose and iconography in which they are depicted. The site features statues of Tara , Avalokiteshvara , Manjusri , Aparajita , Hariti and a range of other bodhisattvas . Ratnagiri is notable for a larger proportion of female figures than other groups of Buddhist sculpture, which has been connected with an increasing interest in esoteric forms of Buddhism, though writers disagree over which traditions were involved. Apart from
4845-473: The earliest trace of the script being dated to 1051 AD. Odia is a syllabic alphabet, or an abugida, wherein all consonants have an inherent vowel. Diacritics (which can appear above, below, before, or after the consonant they belong to) are used to change the form of the inherent vowel. When vowels appear at the beginning of a syllable, they are written as independent letters. Also, when certain consonants occur together, special conjunct symbols are used to combine
4930-471: The entrance were a number of large relief panels of standing figures, several now removed elsewhere. On the outside wall the only one left in place is the female figure (illustrated) holding a flowering branch and making the varadamudra with her proper right hand. She is perhaps a river goddess, or Marici . In a niche inside the porch is an image of the river goddess Yamuna in "sisterly camaraderie" with two smaller companions (illustrated below). There
5015-598: The essential parts of each consonant symbol. The curved appearance of the Odia script is a result of the practice of writing on palm leaves, which have a tendency to tear if too many straight lines are used. The earliest literature in Odia can be traced to the Charyapadas, composed in the 7th to 9th centuries. Before Sarala Das, the most important works in Odia literature are the Shishu Veda, Saptanga, Amara Kosha, Rudrasudhanidhi , Kesaba Koili , Kalasa Chautisa, etc. In
5100-431: The feet remain. In the centre an inset guardian figure of Gaja-Laksmi , borrowed from the Hindu pantheon, runs through two zones. At the bottom of the sides there are two panels each with four richly but lightly dressed lay figures, one holding an umbrella. These are "door guardians" and the innermost figures are large males leaning on clubs; however, the overall impression of the groups is hardly intimidating. Around
5185-477: The great writers in the 20th century was Pandit Krushna Chandra Kar (1907–1995) from Cuttack, who wrote many books for children like Pari Raija, Kuhuka Raija, Panchatantra, Adi Jugara Galpa Mala , etc. He was last felicitated by the Sahitya Academy in 1971–72 for his contributions to Odia literature, development of children's fiction, and biographies. One of the prominent writers of the 20th and 21st centuries
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#17328695446315270-529: The historical Pushpagiri. Based on archaeological finds, K. C. Panigrahi (1961) hypothesized that Udayagiri, Lalitgiri and Ratnagiri formed a common complex, which was called Pushpagiri. As the crow flies, Ratnagiri and Udaygiri are about 11 km (6.8 mi) apart, and both about 7 km (4.3 mi) from Lalitgiri. N. K. Sahu (1958) placed Pushpagiri somewhere in the Phulbani - Ghumsur region, based on geographical descriptions in Xuanzang's works. In 1985,
5355-476: The legend Sri Ratnagiri Mahavihariya Aryabikshu Sanghasya , which helped to identify the name of Ratnagiri monastery. One temple has been converted to Hindu use as the Dharma Mahakala temple; this was built over an earlier stupa, and was moved to the side of the site and re-erected by the ASI. It contains a Buddhist standing relief figure of Manjushri . The later parts date to the 11th century. Ratnagiri
5440-479: The local people had lost all memory of the site as a religious foundation, and believed the mounds had been the palace of a "mythical king", calling them "the queen's mound" (" Ranipukhuri "). A large-scale excavation was conducted at the site by the ASI between 1958 and 1961, uncovering most of what is known today. The report of these excavations was published by the ASI (Mitra, 1981 and 1983). In this twenty year interval
5525-447: The main shrine room. The Ratnagiri museum occupies a purpose-built modern building at the site. It has three storeys and four galleries, with a range of objects found on the site on display. Three galleries mainly feature stone sculpture, and the fourth bronze and ivory sculptures, terracottas, clay seals, inscribed copper plates, and other finds. Other sculptures are "scattered in local villages", and several are in museums, including
5610-419: The monastery is through an elaborately carved chlorite doorway set back from the main outside wall, which was faced with stone at a later stage than the original construction. The frame was called by Mitra "the loveliest entrance to a structural monastery in the whole of India". It has three main zones, the innermost "an intricate foliated arabesque pattern" with a thin vine stem undulating up it. Next comes
5695-432: The northern part of the hill. A number of Buddhist rock-cut sculptures were discovered on the southern spur of the hill, including sculptures of Dhyani Buddhas in various postures. According to D. K. Dimri, the superintendent of the ASI's Orissa circle, the archaeological finds at the site cover a period between 1st century CE and 9th century CE, and suggest the existence of a major Buddhist monastic establishment. In 2007,
5780-650: The period include the Usabhilasa of Sisu Sankara Dasa, the Rahasya Manjari of Debadurlabha Dasa and the Rukmini Bibha of Kartika Dasa. A new form of novels in verse evolved during the beginning of the 17th century when Ramachandra Pattanayaka wrote Harabali . Other poets, like Madhusudana, Bhima Dhibara, Sadasiba and Sisu Iswara Dasa composed another form called kavyas (long poems) based on themes from Puranas, with an emphasis on plain, simple language. However, during
5865-554: The period. The first Odia printing typeset was cast in 1836 by Christian missionaries. Although the handwritten Odia script of the time closely resembled the Bengali and Assamese scripts , the one adopted for the printed typesets was significantly different, leaning more towards the Tamil script and Telugu script . Amos Sutton produced an Oriya Bible (1840), Oriya Dictionary (1841–43) and An Introductory Grammar of Oriya (1844). Odia has
5950-556: The same period as the sculpture on the Baitala Deula Hindu temple in Bhubaneswar , and it has been suggested that some individual sculptors worked at both sites, "a lack of sectarian specialization" in builders and carvers in India being very common. The monastery courtyard had a large verandah , now mostly vanished, probably giving an effect and utility similar to the cloisters of European Christian monasteries. One part, with
6035-413: The same time the modern drama took birth in the works of Rama Sankara Ray beginning with Kanci-Kaveri (1880). Among the contemporaries of Fakir Mohan, four novelists deserve special mention: Aparna Panda, Mrutyunjay Rath, Ram Chandra Acharya and Brajabandhu Mishra. Aparna Panda's Kalavati and Brajabandhu Mishra's Basanta Malati were both published in 1902, the year in which Chha Mana Atha Guntha came out in
6120-467: The significance of marriage as a social institution in traditional Indian society. Ram Chandra Acharya wrote about seven novels during 1924–1936. All his novels are historical romances based on the historical events in Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Odisha. Mrutyunjay Rath's novel, Adbhuta Parinama, published in 1915, centres round a young Hindu who gets converted to Christianity to marry a Christian girl. One of
6205-460: The site names the site as puṣpa sabhar giriya ("flower-filled hill"), identified by the excavators as Pushpagiri. In 2000, an excavation conducted by the institute, under the supervision of archaeologist Debraj Pradhan, resulted in the discovery of a large stupa as well as several other archaeological artifacts. The artifacts included pillars, a fragmentary Brahmi inscription, terracota seals and Northern Black Polished Ware . Debraj Pradhan believed
6290-459: The small stupas, makes Ratnagiri an outstanding Indian site for the study of Buddhist images. An evolution of the prevailing religious thought has been detected, reflected in the choice of images, and relating them to a wider range of Buddhist texts, despite very little evidence as to what texts or practices were used or even known at Ratnagiri itself. The religious affiliations of the monastery probably changed over its long history, and it seems it
6375-495: The stupa to have been erected by the Mauryan emperor Ashoka (304–232 BCE): Although Xuanzang suggests that Odra had 10 stupas erected by Ashoka, this is the only one to have been discovered so far. According to B. N. Mukherjee of Calcutta University , who deciphered the Brahmi inscription, the stupa may have been erected by "a lay Buddhist worshipper called Ashoka". By 2007, 34 rock-cut stupas of various sizes had been discovered on
6460-479: The total are found to the south-west to the main stupa. Most can be dated to between the 9th and 13th centuries, and were evidently made on or very close to the site; some unfinished examples have been found, including those with the space for the figure left blank, to be finished when the customer chose a deity. It is thought they served as memorials and reliquaries for dead monks, and votive offerings by pilgrims. A total of 1386 clay seals were found, most bearing
6545-747: The world, bringing the number of Odia speakers worldwide to 50 million. It has a significant presence in eastern countries, such as Thailand and Indonesia , mainly brought by the sadhaba , ancient traders from Odisha who carried the language along with the culture during the old-day trading , and in western countries such as the United States , Canada , Australia and England . The language has also spread to Burma , Malaysia , Fiji , Mauritius , Bangladesh , Sri Lanka and Middle East countries. Minor regional dialects Minor sociolects Odia minor dialects include: Odia has 30 consonant phonemes, 2 semivowel phonemes and 6 vowel phonemes. Length
6630-459: Was Muralidhar Mallick (1927–2002). His contribution to Historical novels is beyond words. He was last felicitated by the Sahitya Academy in the year 1998 for his contributions to Odia literature. His son Khagendranath Mallick (born 1951) is also a writer. His contribution towards poetry, criticism, essays, story and novels is commendable. He was the former President of Utkal Kala Parishad and also former President of Odisha Geeti Kabi Samaj. Presently he
6715-442: Was built in at least two major phases, the first dating to the late 8th century, and the second to the 11th or early 12th century; Donaldson prefers the early 10th century for the second phase. The style of sculpture differs considerably between these, and scholars have generally seen the later work as representing a decline in "both moral and artistic standards", as the later work includes some erotic scenes. The main entrance to
6800-473: Was likely established no later than the reign of the Gupta king Narasimha Baladitya in the first half of the sixth century, and flourished until the twelfth century. The main construction of the surviving part of Monastery 1 was under the rule of the (mainly) Buddhist Bhauma-Kara dynasty , whose capital was nearby at Jajpur , although no inscription records patronage at Ratnagiri by the dynasty. A Tibetan history,
6885-478: Was often the case that different Buddhist traditions co-existed within a single monastery. The "overwhelming majority" of the sculpture can be grouped into two phases, the first dating to the 8–9th centuries, dominated by imagery described as Mahayana by Donaldson, followed by a second phase of the 10th and 11th centuries, with mainly Vajrayana choice of subjects and imagery. However, some other scholars question these descriptions, seeing evidence of Tantricism in
6970-447: Was originally a good deal higher, to an unknown extent. There was a pathway between the plinth and outer wall for ritual pradakshina or circumambulation; this was a later addition. Prominent, well-preserved standing statues of the bodhisattvas Vajrapani and Padmapani can be found in niches in a portico . The stupa is surrounded by large numbers of much smaller stupas, some four or more metres high, but large numbers less than
7055-555: Was particularly influential on the written form of the language. Another of the Panchasakha, Matta Balarama Dasa transcreated the Ramayana in Odia, titled Jagamohana Ramayana . Odia has had a strong tradition of poetry, especially devotional poetry. Other eminent Odia poets include Kabi Samrat Upendra Bhanja , Kabisurjya Baladeba Ratha , Banamali Dasa , Dinakrusna Dasa and Gopalakrusna Pattanayaka . Classical Odia literature
7140-464: Was probably a matching Ganga panel on the other side, but this is now missing; the pair are very common figures at the threshold of Buddhist and Hindu establishments. Other common figures in monasteries are pairs of Pancika (the Hindu Kubera ) and his consort Hariti , representing material and spiritual wealth at more than one level. The style of these figures demonstrates that they were made at
7225-423: Was removed to museums elsewhere, with much left on site. A museum at the site has recently been opened to house many pieces. The main elements were an impressive stupa (Stupa 1) surrounded by several hundred smaller stupas of varying dimensions, three quadrangular monasteries (Monasteries 1 to 3). Monastery 1 is much the largest, with a beautiful carved doorway, spacious open courtyard, cells and verandah facing
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