Oriya (Odia)

Oriya is an Indian language spoken in the Indian state of Odisha. It is also spoken in parts of West Bengal, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh. Oriya is one of the 22 scheduled languages of India. It is the official language of Odisha and the first language of about 33 million people in Odisha. Oriya is written in the Oriya script, which is a modified form of the Bengali alphabet. The Oriya alphabet has 12 vowel letters and 36 consonant letters. The Oriya script is used to write a number of other Indian languages, including Bengali, Assamese, Maithili and Meitei. The Oriya language has a rich literary tradition. The first Oriya book was published in 1540. Oriya poets such as Sarala Dasa and Jayadeva wrote some of the greatest works of Indian literature. The Oriya Mahabharata, written by Sarala Dasa, is one of the longest and most popular epic poems in India. The Oriya film industry is based in the city of Cuttack. The first Oriya film was released in 1936. Since then, Oriya films have been winning awards at international film festivals. Oriya is a beautiful language with a rich literary and cultural tradition. If you are interested in learning Oriya, there are a number of resources available, including online courses and textbooks.