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People of Odisha · from Kharavela to today
Personalities of Odisha: the people who shaped a land
Kings and rebels, reformers and freedom fighters, poets, dancers, scientists and athletes — a searchable guide to the men and women who made Odisha’s history and culture, with links to our in-depth articles.
- 55personalities
- 7fields
- 2,000+ yrsof history
- 31linked to articles
01 · Builders of empires and temples
Kings & rulers
The rulers who shaped Kalinga and Odisha — from Kharavela to the last independent king.
- Mahameghavahana emperorKharavelac. 1st century BCE
Kalinga’s greatest early ruler, known from the Hathigumpha inscription at Udayagiri.
Read more → - Imperial GangaAnantavarman Chodagangadevar. 1077–1147
United Utkala with the Ganga kingdom and began the Jagannath Temple at Puri.
Read more → - Imperial GangaAnangabhimadeva IIIr. 1211–1238
Declared Lord Jagannath the true sovereign and himself the god’s deputy.
Read more → - Imperial GangaNarasimhadeva Ir. 1238–1264
Warrior king who built the Sun Temple at Konark.
Read more → - Suryavamsi GajapatiKapilendradevar. 1435–1467
Founder of the Gajapati dynasty and builder of the largest Odia empire.
Read more → - Suryavamsi GajapatiPurusottamadevar. 1467–1497
Recovered the south; hero of the Kanchi–Kaveri legend.
Read more → - Suryavamsi GajapatiPrataprudradevar. 1497–1540
Fought Vijayanagara; patron of Sri Chaitanya in Puri.
Read more → - Last independent kingMukunda Devar. 1559–1568
His death in 1568 ended the independence of Odisha.
Read more →
02 · Against the Company
Rebels & resistance leaders
Those who took up arms against British rule in the 19th century.
- Khurda RebellionJayi Rajguru1739–1806
Minister of Khurda who led the rising of 1804; executed by the British.
Read more → - Paika RebellionBuxi Jagabandhu1773–1829
Commander of Khurda’s paikas and leader of the 1817 rising.
Read more → - Revolt of 1857Veer Surendra Sai1809–1884
Led a long guerrilla war around Sambalpur until his capture in 1864.
Read more → - Ghumsar risingDora Bisoi19th century
Kandha leader of the Ghumsar resistance in the 1830s.
Read more → - Kandha risingChakra Bisoi19th century
Kandha leader who resisted British control of the hill tracts.
Read more → - Bhuyan risingRatna Naik19th century
Led the Bhuyan rising of 1867–68 in Keonjhar.
Read more → - Bhuyan risingDharani Dhar Naik19th century
Led the second Bhuyan rising of 1891–93 in Keonjhar.
Read more →
03 · Reformers & statesmen
Makers of modern Odisha
The reformers and leaders who built the Odia movement and the modern state.
- Utkala GouravMadhusudan Das1848–1934
Lawyer and reformer; founded the Utkal Sammilani in 1903 and led the Odia movement.
Read more → - Maharaja of MayurbhanjSriram Chandra Bhanja Deo1871–1912
Reforming ruler and supporter of the Odia language movement.
Read more → - UtkalmaniGopabandhu Das1877–1928
Founded the Satyabadi school and The Samaja; led Odisha into Non-Cooperation.
Read more → - Statesman & historianHarekrushna Mahtab1899–1987
Led Odisha at independence and the merger of the princely states; author of The History of Orissa.
Read more → - Gandhian & Chief MinisterNabakrushna Choudhury1901–1984
Freedom fighter and Chief Minister of Odisha in the 1950s.
- Aviator & Chief MinisterBiju Patnaik1916–1997
Pilot of famous wartime flights; twice Chief Minister of Odisha.
04 · 1920 – 1947
Freedom fighters
Men and women who carried the national movement to every corner of Odisha.
- Gandhian leaderRamadevi Choudhury1899–1985
Led women in the salt satyagraha and later walked across Odisha for Bhoodan.
Read more → - Gandhian & social workerMalati Choudhury1904–1998
Freedom fighter, member of the Constituent Assembly and champion of the rural poor.
Read more → - Freedom fighter & writerSarala Devi1904–1986
Activist, writer and one of the first women members of the Odisha Legislative Assembly.
Read more → - Poet & patriotKuntala Kumari Sabat1900–1938
Doctor, poet and nationalist voice of the 1920s and 1930s.
- Koraput tribal leaderLaxman Nayak1899–1943
Leader of the Quit India movement in Koraput; hanged in 1943.
Read more → - Boy martyr of DhenkanalBaji Rout1926–1938
Twelve-year-old boatman shot by state police during the Prajamandal movement.
Read more →
05 · Odia literature
Poets & writers
From the Gita Govinda to the Jnanpith — the writers who made Odia one of India’s classical languages.
- Sanskrit poetJayadeva12th century
Author of the Gita Govinda, sung daily in the Jagannath Temple.
- Adi KabiSarala Das15th century
Retold the Mahabharata in Odia in the age of Kapilendradeva.
Read more → - Pancha SakhaJagannatha Das16th century
Author of the Odia Bhagavata, the most widely read Odia book.
Read more → - Pancha SakhaAchyutananda Das16th century
Poet-saint and prophet of the Pancha Sakha tradition.
Read more → - Devotional poetSalabega17th century
Muslim-born poet whose bhajans to Jagannath are still sung in Puri.
- Kavi SamratUpendra Bhanja17th–18th century
Master of ornate Odia poetry in the riti style.
- Mahima Dharma poetBhima Bhoi19th century
Blind tribal poet of the Mahima Dharma faith.
Read more → - Poet of the renaissanceRadhanath Ray1848–1908
Brought new forms to Odia poetry in Chilika and Chandrabhaga.
Read more → - Father of Odia fictionFakir Mohan Senapati1843–1918
Author of Chha Mana Atha Guntha, a landmark of Indian realist fiction.
Read more → - BhaktakabiMadhusudan Rao1853–1912
Poet and educationist of the Odia renaissance.
- Swabhaba KabiGangadhar Meher1862–1924
Poet of nature from Barpali; author of Tapaswini.
Read more → - NovelistGopinath Mohanty1914–1991
First Odia writer to win the Jnanpith Award (1973).
- PoetSachidananda Routray1916–2004
Leading modern Odia poet; Jnanpith Award 1986.
- PoetSitakant Mahapatrab. 1937
Poet and scholar of tribal oral tradition; Jnanpith Award 1993.
- NovelistPratibha Rayb. 1943
Author of Yajnaseni; Jnanpith Award 2011.
06 · Odissi and the crafts
Art, dance & music
The artists who revived Odissi and carried Odisha’s crafts to the world.
- Adi Guru of OdissiPankaj Charan Das1919–2003
Shaped Odissi from the temple tradition of the maharis.
- Odissi guruKelucharan Mohapatra1926–2004
The best-known architect of the Odissi revival; Padma Vibhushan.
- Odissi guruDeba Prasad Das1932–1986
Guru of a vigorous, sculptural style of Odissi.
- Odissi dancerSanjukta Panigrahi1944–1997
Among the first Odia women to perform Odissi on the world stage.
- VocalistRaghunath Panigrahi1932–2013
Celebrated singer of the Gita Govinda.
- Singer & composerAkshaya Mohanty1937–2002
“Khoka Bhai”, the most loved voice of modern Odia song.
- Stone sculptorRaghunath Mohapatra1943–2021
Master sculptor in the Konark tradition; Padma Vibhushan.
- Sand artistSudarsan Pattnaikb. 1977
Puri sand artist known worldwide; Padma Shri.
- Film pioneerMohan Sundar Deb Goswami1892–1948
Made Sita Bibaha (1936), the first Odia film.
07 · Scholars and champions
Science & sport
Scientists, scholars and sportspersons who made their mark.
- AstronomerPathani Samanta1835–1904
Samanta Chandrasekhar; compiled the Siddhanta Darpana with naked-eye instruments.
- Botanist & educationistPranakrushna Parija1891–1978
Botanist and Vice-Chancellor of Utkal University.
- HockeyDilip Tirkeyb. 1977
Defender from Sundargarh who played three Olympics for India; Padma Shri.
- AthleticsDutee Chandb. 1996
Sprinter from Jajpur; two silver medals at the 2018 Asian Games.
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FAQ
Frequently asked questions about the personalities of Odisha
Who is known as Utkala Gourav?
Madhusudan Das (1848–1934) is known as Utkala Gourav, the pride of Utkala. He founded the Utkal Sammilani in 1903 and led the movement for a separate Odia province. See Madhusudan Das.
Who is called Utkalmani?
Gopabandhu Das (1877–1928) is called Utkalmani, the jewel of Utkala. He founded the Satyabadi school and the newspaper The Samaja and led Odisha into the Non-Cooperation movement.
Who led the Paika Rebellion of 1817?
Buxi Jagabandhu, commander of the paikas of Khurda, led the Paika Rebellion of 1817 against British rule. See Buxi Jagabandhu.
Who was the first Odia writer to win the Jnanpith Award?
Gopinath Mohanty was the first Odia writer to win the Jnanpith Award, in 1973. Sachidananda Routray (1986), Sitakant Mahapatra (1993) and Pratibha Ray (2011) followed.
Who made the first Odia film?
Mohan Sundar Deb Goswami made Sita Bibaha (1936), the first Odia feature film.
Who revived Odissi dance?
Odissi was revived in the mid-20th century by gurus such as Kelucharan Mohapatra, Pankaj Charan Das and Deba Prasad Das, and carried to the world by dancers like Sanjukta Panigrahi.
Who were the leading women freedom fighters of Odisha?
Leading women of Odisha’s freedom struggle include Ramadevi Choudhury, Malati Choudhury, Sarala Devi and the poet Kuntala Kumari Sabat. See Quit India Movement and the Women of Odisha.
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