The Odisha had a rich heritage in sphere of culture, religion, politics, and economy. They could maintain the same till they came contact with outsiders. However the decay in all aspects started during the British Rule. The main aim of the paper is to understand the historical development of Odia language particularly in the colonial period which in the later time formed the separate state basing on language. The Odia who could realize at the beginning of the 20th century proved their mettle in forming the Odisha province in 1936 and amalgamating Garhjat States in 1948 and 1950. Equally there are huge literature in defending the Odia language and culture by Odia and non-Odia writers and activists of the century. Similarly, from the beginning of the 20th century and with the growth of Odia nationalism, the Odias had to struggle for formation of Odisha with the amalgamation of Odia speaking tracts from other province and play active role in freedom movement.