​ORIYA (properly Oṛyā), the Aryan language of Ōḍra or Orissa in India. It is the vernacular not only of that province but also of the adjoining districts and native states of Madras and of the Central Provinces. In 1901 it was spoken by 9,687,429 people. It is closely related to Bengali and Assamese, and with them and with Bihari it forms the Eastern Group of the Indo-Aryan vernaculars. See Bengali.