Early History of Orissa

Author(s): Amarchand Mittal
Publisher: Jain Cultural Research Society

Page 40

GEOGRAPHICAL FACTOR
15
and wild land-route. He describes the inhabitants of Orissa as of tall stature, of black skin, of rude habits, and speaking a clear ringing language different from the tongues of inner India. They are described exactly what we might expect of the people of a delta to be, who had settled long enough to acquire the dark colour of a damp tropical region, but had not yet lost the manly forms which they brought from their ancient high-lands.
The State of Orissa, however, came under the Aryan influence soon after their spread in Northern India. Since then there have been slow and gradual migrations of the Aryans in this part of the land, with the result that the majority of the people at present are Hindus, and among them, the principal caste is the Brāhmaṇa. The highest class among tha Brāhmaṇas is called Śāsani i. e. those who had been honoured by various rulers with grants of lands embodied in Tāmara-śāsanas or the charters written on copper plates. There are many other sub-divisions of the Brāhmaṇas, some of which have emigrated into the State in mediæval time.
The next important class may be called the Rājanyas in the absence of a better generic term. Most of the Indian Chiefs and Zamindars in the country claim to be Kshatriyas or Rajputs. Prof. R. D. Banerji, however, argues that in the majority of cases they are of mixed descent and their present rank or caste is due to their position. After quoting good many such instances, be concludes “A careful consideration of the data available, at the present date, would tend to prove that the majority of the chiefs of Kalinga or modern Orissa and Telingana are of indigenous descent."
1. H. 0. Vol. I, pp. 16.17, 2. Ibid.