A seven-volume dictionary compiled over decades in the early twentieth century still stands as the most authoritative reference in the Odia language — and on Sunday, 27 September 2026, Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi paid tribute to the man behind it, marking the birth anniversary of legendary scholar and lexicographer Gopal Chandra Praharaj.

Posting in Odia on X, CM Majhi offered his bhaktiputa pranama (devotional salutations) to Praharaj, describing his monumental Purnachandra Odia Bhashakosha as 'Odia bhashar eka amalina alokabarttika' — 'an enduring beacon of the Odia language'. He added that Praharaj's epoch-making contribution to the promotion, propagation, and preservation of the mother tongue 'will forever remain an inspiration and guiding light for us'.

The dictionary that defined a language

The Purnachandra Odia Bhashakosha is not simply a dictionary — it is the backbone of modern Odia scholarship. Compiled by Gopal Chandra Praharaj in the early twentieth century, the seven-volume work catalogued Odia vocabulary, etymology, and usage at a time when the language's literary and administrative identity was still being fought for. It remains the foundational reference for linguists, writers, and students of Odia to this day.

The scale of the undertaking is hard to overstate. Praharaj worked across thousands of pages and multiple volumes, drawing on classical texts, folk usage, and regional dialects — an individual effort that effectively gave the Odia language its definitive written form. Among Odia speakers, his name carries the same reverence as that of the great lexicographers of any major world language.

Classical status and the stakes of preservation

Praharaj's legacy sits at the heart of a larger national recognition. In 2014, the Government of India declared Odia a classical language — a designation that formalises central and state support for its preservation, research, and promotion. The Bhashakosha was among the foundational evidence cited for the antiquity and richness of the language's literary tradition.

For Odisha's political leadership, tributes to literary giants like Praharaj serve a dual purpose: honouring genuine intellectual heritage while reinforcing the state's commitment to mother-tongue education and cultural identity. CM Majhi's post follows a pattern of Odisha chief ministers marking such anniversaries publicly — a signal, particularly under a BJP government keen on cultural-linguistic identity, that the classical language framework is treated as living policy, not archived history.

As Odia-language digitisation and academic documentation continue — with scholars increasingly looking to the Bhashakosha as a base text — Praharaj's birth anniversary serves as an annual reminder of how much of modern Odia rests on one scholar's extraordinary lifetime of work. The beacon, as CM Majhi put it, has not dimmed.