iarjhssIARJHSSIARJHSS2708-6267https://doi.org/10.47310/iarjhss.2021.v02i01.017Odia Identity, Language and Regionalism: A Historical PerspectiveLaxmipriyaPalaiP.G. Dept. of History, Berhampur University, Berhampur-760007, Odisha, IndiaThis paper explores the historical evolution of the Odia language and identity, emphasizing the 19th- and early 20th-century struggles against systematic attempts to suppress Odia linguistic and cultural distinctiveness. During British rule, various administrators and Bengali elites advocated replacing Odia with Bengali, Hindi, or Hindustani, calling it a dialect rather than a separate language. In response, Odia intellectuals, writers, and reformers—through newspapers like Utkal Dipika and organizations such as Utkal Sabha—defended their language and asserted cultural independence. The Odia middle class, influenced by Western education and nationalism, became the backbone of the revival movement, fostering literary, social, and political consciousness. The paper also traces the later phase of Odia nationalism that sought the unification of Odia-speaking regions scattered under different British provinces, culminating in the creation of Odisha as a separate linguistic state in 1936. Using a historical-analytical method, this study highlights how the Odia identity, rooted in language and culture, survived colonial suppression and continues to face challenges of preservation in modern India.