History of Mediaeval Hindu India (being a History of India from 600 to 1200 A.D.) v1.c17.2

v1.c17.2

According to Hunter Orissa is the Prakrit form of the word Odra-deśa which is very plausible. Orissa is a strip of land bounded by the Sea on the east and the Vindhya hills on the west. It extends length-wise from the-western most mouth of the Ganges to a remarkable lake in the south called the Chilka lake. This lake has been formed owing to the low level of the land, the water from the sea floing into it at tide-time. It is separated from the sea by a narrow ridge of land formed by the deposit of silt from the mountains brought down by the big rivers of Orissa the chief of which is of course the Mahānadi. In this strip of land owing to its fertility immigrations have come in from time to time. The most ancient one was that of the Aryans whose pioneers, the Brahmins, were conspicuous in founding settlensnts even in Dandakāranya. These Aryan Brahmins soon imposed their religion and their langnage upon the aboriginal people who were non-Aryans and Kaivartas or fishermen by profession. Odra naturally became a prosperous province but like Anga, Vanga and Kalinga it continued to be a banned land for pure Aryans. The Manusmriti mentions the Odras as mlechhas, and it was not considered proper for good Aryans to go to this country.