Other Spellings : Odiya

Religion : Hindu

Language : Oriya

Regional Spread : Mainly in Orissa. A small minority of them is also found in Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal

Population : 32 million approx

Traditional Occupation: Sea Fishing, Agriculture

Food Habits : Oriya Cuisine is quite simple. Rice is the staple food for the people. Vegetables too form and integral part of the meal. A large number of Oriya people practice vegetarianism but a significant proportion of people relish fish and other sea food delicacies. Oriya food is spicy and is cooked with little or no oil. Curd and coconut milk find great use in the diet of the people.

Marriage Preference :Prefer to marry within their own caste and community.

Famous Personalities:
Fakir Mohan Senapati (Oriya Writer)
Dr. Radhanath Rath (Oriya Writer)
Pandit Gopabandhu Das (Freedom Fighter)
Biswanath Das (Fredom Fighter)
Chandra Sekhar Behera (Freedom Fighter)
Biju Pattanaik (ex CM)

History and Origin : The Oriya people are an ethnic group of eastern India and of eastern Indo-Aryan stock. They can trace their history to the early Indo-Aryan Kalingas, who built a mighty eastern coastal empire in Orissa that was later absorbed into the Mauryan empire. They are also descendants of the Dravidian peoples, (now found chiefly in South India) and the early Proto-Australoid peoples, whose tribal descendants still live in large numbers in Orissa. The Oriya people are closely related to the neighboring Bengali people living in West Bengal.