| Utkala Brahmin | |
|---|---|
 Priests from Utkala Brahmin community, during Yatra with Shankararcharya of Puri (center) | |
| Jāti | Utkala |
| Religions | Hinduism |
| Languages | Odia language |
| Country | India |
| Original state | Odisha |
| Populated states | Odisha,West Bengal,Jharkhand,Chhattisgarh,Andhra Pradesh |
| Ethnicity | Odia |
| Related groups | Kanyakubja Brahmins,Maithil Brahmins,Bengali Brahmins,Gauda Brahmins,Saraswat Brahmins |
Utkala Brahmins, also known asOdia Brahmins, are aBrahmin community who belong to the state ofOdisha, India. Utkala Brahmins are the historical caretakers of theJagannath Temple inPuri. The Utkala Brahmins are one of the fivePancha Gouda Brahmin communities that originally resided to the north of theVindhyas.[1] They constitute about 10-12% of Odisha's population as of 2025.[2][citation needed]
During ancient periodUtkala was centre ofBuddhism andJainism.Shailodbhava dynasty were follower ofShaivism who ruled the region from 6th century to 8th century. They had builtParashurameshvara Temple in 7th century which is oldest temple inBhubaneswar. Shailodhava king Madhavaraja II in his inscriptions state that he performed theashvamedha sacrifices to assert his independence fromGupta Empire which indicates presence of Brahmin in Odisha in 7th century.[3]Keshari dynasty ruled from 9th to 12th century in medieval period who constructedLingaraj Temple,Mukteshvara Temple andRajarani Temple in Bhubaneswar. They introduced a new style of architecture in Odisha and their rule saw a shift fromBuddhism toHinduism.[4] According to legend Yayati Keshri brought 10,000 Brahmin fromKannauj to his kingdom for Ashvamedha ceremony in 10th century.[5] There are records of settlement of 200 brahmins by Subhakaradeva ofBhauma-Kara dynasty in Neulpur grant (c795 AD) and another 6000 brahmins settlement nearPuri between 1151-1152 A.D.[6]
