Sarala Das (ସାରଳା ଦାସ) was a 15th-century poet who composed the Mahabharata in Odia, the first great epic of the Odia language. Revered as the Adi Kabi (first poet) of Odia literature, Sarala Das wrote in the speech of ordinary people rather than in Sanskrit, and his retelling of the epic laid the foundation for a written literary tradition in Odia.
When did Sarala Das live?
Precise dates of birth and death are not recorded. The Odia Virtual Academy, run by the Government of Odisha, states that he can safely be placed in the 15th century. Scholars link him to the reign of Gajapati Kapilendra Deva (r. 1435–1467), founder of the Suryavamsi Gajapati line, during whose rule he is believed to have begun his Mahabharata.
Early life
According to the Odia Virtual Academy, Sarala Das was born Siddheswara Parida in the village of Kanakavati Patana (Kanakapura) in present-day Jagatsinghpur district. He came from a Khandayat (peasant-militia) family, and tradition holds that he served as a soldier in the Gajapati army. He took the name Sarala Dasa, servant of the goddess Sarala, whose shrine is associated with the region. He styled himself Sudra Muni, a humble self-description that underlined his non-Brahmin background.
He is said to have had little formal schooling in Sanskrit, and later accounts attribute his learning to devotion and self-study. His working life and compositions are associated with religious establishments of the area, and according to the Odia Virtual Academy he died at a monastery on the Budha Nadi.
The Odia Mahabharata
Sarala Das's Mahabharata is not a translation of Vyasa's Sanskrit epic but a free and vigorous retelling. Key features noted by scholars and by the Odia Virtual Academy:
- Language of the people: he used everyday spoken Odia and avoided heavy Sanskritisation, so that the epic could be recited and understood in villages.
- Local setting: the story is placed in an Odia landscape, with references to places in Odisha and to the worship of Lord Jagannath.
- New episodes: it contains many episodes and characters not found in the Sanskrit text, which later Odia writers drew upon.
- Tone: its dominant mood is heroic and martial rather than romantic, and its verse, in a metre drawn from folk song, is described as simple, forceful and musical.
The Press Information Bureau recorded in 2021 that the then Vice President of India described Sarala Das not only as Adi Kabi but also as "Adi Aitihasika" (first historian) and "Adi Bhougolbith" (first geographer), because the Mahabharata preserves so much about the history and geography of medieval Odisha.
Other works
Besides the Mahabharata, the Odia Virtual Academy lists:
- Bilanka Ramayana, regarded as his earliest work, a narrative connected with the Ramayana tradition.
- Chandi Purana, a devotional poem on the goddess.
- Laxmi Narayana Vachanika.
Legacy and honours
- Foundation of Odia literature: literary historians treat the Sarala Mahabharata as the starting point of Odia classical literature, and its influence runs through the later Panchasakha poets and beyond. See milestones of Odia literature.
- Classical language status: the PIB release of 2021 linked Odia's recognition as a classical language partly to the long literary heritage that begins with Sarala Das. Read more on the classical status of Odia.
- Popular memory: his Mahabharata continues to be recited and read in Odisha more than five centuries after its composition.
Major works
| Work | Year | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Bilanka Ramayana | 15th century CE | Considered his earliest work |
| Mahabharata (Sarala Mahabharata) | 15th century CE, begun under Kapilendra Deva | First Odia epic; free retelling in everyday Odia |
| Chandi Purana | 15th century CE | Devotional poem on the goddess |
| Laxmi Narayana Vachanika | 15th century CE | Shorter devotional work |
Exact years of composition are not known; scholars date the works by the reign of Kapilendra Deva.
Timeline
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 15th century CE | Born as Siddheswara Parida at Kanakavati Patana (year unknown) |
| 1435 | Kapilendra Deva becomes Gajapati of Odisha |
| 1435–1467 | Sarala Das begins and composes the Odia Mahabharata during this reign |
| 2021 | Vice President of India honours him as Adi Kabi, Adi Aitihasika and Adi Bhougolbith (PIB) |