Indian Epigraphy c8.s2.t9.1

c8.s2.t9.1

In Orissa, the influence of the Oriya language in inscriptions written in Sanskrit appears as early as the 10th century.¹ Records, both private and royal, written entirely in Oriya appear in the 13th century.² A few official charters of the later members of the Eastern Gaṅga dynasty such as the Puri plates³ of Narasimha IV (c. 1378-1402 A.D.) are written partly in Sanskrit and partly in Oriya. Similar is the case with Gajapati charters like the Veligalani grant of Kapileśvara (c. 1435-66 A.D.),⁴ which has a section in Oriya, its other sections being written in Sanskrit and Telugu. But we have the same king’s stone inscriptions, together with a number of records of his successors, in the Jaga-nnātha temple at Puri, which are all written wholly in Oriya.⁵ Some official charters of the Gajapati kings and many issued by the later rulers of Orissa are written entirely in Oriya.⁶ Private inscriptions in Oriya belonging to the late medieval period are numerous.⁷