Syllable-final consonant sounds may be represented by 2 dedicated combining marks ( Over the top right of the following consonant. , usually for the second character, but sometimes for the initial. Used for Odia include repertoire extensions for 2 sounds by applying theĬonsonant clusters are most commonly rendered using See the table to the right for a brief overview of features for the modern Odia orthography. Consonants carry an inherent vowel which can be modified by appending vowel-signs to the consonant. The language and script were previously referrred to in English as Oriya, but in 2011 India changed the spelling to Odia in the constitution. The rounded shapes of the letters, especially the top bar, are ascribed to the practise of writing on palm leaves, where rounded lines are less likely to split the leaf than straight ones.Ī cursive version of the script, called Karani ( କରଣୀ ଅକ୍ଷର), was used by scribes in the royal courts. The language was initially written in the Kalinga script, from which the Oriya script developed. Earliest recorded instances of the script go back to the 11thC. The Oriya script is a descendant of the Brahmi script, via Siddham. u,487 It is also used in Orissa for transcribing Sanskrit texts.
The Oriya script is the official orthography used to write the Odia language of the Odisha (Orissa) state in India, as well as minority languages such as Khondi and Santali, and a number of Dravidian and Munda minority languages spoken in that region.