page_title: Odia language
section_title: Writing system
hierarchical_section_title: Odia language / Writing system
caption_attribution_description: English: This is a Sanskrit manuscript in Telugu script. The colophon states it is Telang lipi. The text is a section of the Skanda Purana, and praises a teacher-counsellor (guru). This manuscript was acquired in the 19th-century, and was produced in or before the acquisition. The photo above is of a 2D artwork from the text that was itself authored more than 500 years ago. Therefore Wikimedia Commons PD-Art licensing guidelines apply. Any rights I have as a photographer is herewith donated to wikimedia commons under CC 4.0 license.
context_page_description: Odia, is an Indo-Aryan language spoken in the Indian state of Odisha. It is the official language in Odisha where native speakers make up 82% of the population, also spoken in parts of West Bengal, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, and Andhra Pradesh. 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 language is also spoken by a sizeable population of at least 1 million people in Chhattisgarh.
  Odia is the sixth Indian language to be designated a Classical Language in India, on the basis of having 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.
context_section_description: The Odia language uses  Odia script (also known as the Kalinga script). It is a Brahmic script used to write primarily Odia language and less frequently Kui, Santali, Ho and Chhattisgarhi. The script has developed over more than 1000 years. The earliest trace of the script has been dated to 1051 AD. It is a syllabic alphabet or an abugida, wherein all consonants have an inherent vowel embedded within.
  Odia is a syllabic alphabet or an abugida wherein all consonants have an inherent vowel embedded within. 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 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 you use too many straight lines.
caption: Skanda Purana sample written in Sanskrit in Odia script
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