Authors:

Sankarsan Malik

Abstract:

Eighteenth century Orissa witnessed the changes in social life. The establishment of the Mughal administration in Orissa, which ruled for nearly two hundred years, affected the social-cultural life of the Oriya people. Though the Mughal-Maratha conflict for supremacy over Orissa ended in 1751 AD with the Maratha' victory, Islamic traditions had a significant impact on its society, culture, and economy. However, the people of Orissa strongly believed in the ancient traditions and religion of the land. Varna system was the primary base of the whole Oriya society. During the eighteenth century, a small group of the Muslim population also settled down in Orissa. Europeans who established trade centres in India's coastal region raised their businesses in Orissa and settled in cities and coastal regions. Women during this time were victims of the gender-based society and discriminatory social policies and regulations which were enacted to limit women’s movements and freedom during medieval period. Education had not given much important at this time. Women's education was discouraged in general, but elite people were able to obtain it through private tutors. Marriage was a sacred and important institution of the period, but all its rituals and principles were made to treat women as inferior to men. Oriya literature achieved a milestone in this period, and literature has provided most of the information regarding eighteenth century Orissa. However, this article has investigated the various traditions and rituals in order to comprehend the social context of eighteenth-century Orissa.

Keywords:

Eighteenth Century, Orissa, Society, traditions, women  

Vol & Issue:

VOL.13, ISSUE No.4, December 2021