What is odia?

Odia is a language spoken in the eastern Indian state of Odisha. It has about 45 million speakers worldwide, making it the sixth most spoken language in India. Odia is an ancient language with a rich literary tradition, dating back to the 10th century. The earliest known written texts in Odia include the Jain religious works and the inscriptions of the Eastern Ganga dynasty. The language uses the Odia script, which is derived from the Brahmi script. The Odia script is used to write Odia literature, poetry, and drama, as well as official documents. Odia has influenced many other languages in the region, including Bengali, Assamese, and Telugu. It is also one of the official languages of India.