The Modern Era Upto 1900

1803

British army under Colonel Harcourt begins its march from Ganjam in the South, and occupies the Mugalbandi districts of Cuttack, Puri, Balasore.
The first book to be printed in Odia “New Testament” published by the Shreerampur Baptist Mission Press.

1817

Under the leadership of Bakshi Jagabandhu Biddyadhar, the Paikas of Khurda rise against the British in what is known as the famous Pikas Revolt of 1817. It is primarily an agrarian revolt against the wrong policies of land settlement and revenue administration adopted by the British.

1822

Missionaries arrive in Odisha .

1839

Odia is adopted as the language of the court replacing Persian.

1843

Fakir Mohan Senapati is born.

1848

Kulabrudha Madhusudan Das is born.

1849

Missionaries bring out the first Odia Magazine -“JNANARUNA”

1853

Bhaktakabi Madhusudan Rao is born.

1855

Appearance of saint poet Bhima Bhoi.

1857

Surendra sae of Sambalpur, Chakhi Khuntia of Puri, and Arjun Singh of Podahat join hands with sepoys which is known as the country-wide `Sepoy Mutiny of 1857′ (First War of Indian Independence).

1862

Poet Gangadhar Mehar is born.

1866

A failure of reign in 1865 resulted in the loss of usual crops and brought about a catastrophic famine in 1966-67 which laid to the death of about one million people in Odisha . Gross negligence, indifferent administration, lack of communication and in adequate attention caused at least one man every three in Odisha die in famine. Cuttack printing press, the second in the state is established by the initiative of the people of the province. The first news paper Utkal Dipika is brought out by the Cuttack printing company.

1866 – 1900

It was during this late 19th century that a new consciousness began to take shape. The growth of modern education, rise of a middle class intelligentsia, advent of the printing press publication of the journals and periodicals along with the nationalistic literary activities of writers like Fakir Mohan Senapati and Radhanath Ray, rise of numerous socio religious and cultural societies formation of the Indian National Congress all these assumed the shape of a political movement uniting all the Odia-speaking areas under a single administration.