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Debendra K. DashDipti R. Pattanaik 23in its wider significance), voluminous written texts were produced inthis language. We must remember here that Sarala’s writings were infact the cultural manifestation of a socio-political process, whichsought to undermine the Brahminical/Sanskrit stranglehold overpower-knowledge. The discourse generated by such a process, in itsturn, brought about a reversal of social hierarchies. The knowledge,and so the power accruing from it which was hitherto under thecontrol of the elites and the elite language Sanskrit was now underthe appropriating grasp of the emerging castes and social groups.Translational praxis played a pivotal role in the process ofappropriation and mutilation of earlier hegemonies and levelingdown of the social playing field. In this context, the study oftranslational praxis as the index of socio-cultural dynamics isrelevant and rewarding.Translated TextsAlthough the first translations are credited to Sarala Das,those are not translations in the sense in which we understand‘translation’ today. Those are more a mutilation and reworking ofthe original texts (the ideological implications of such an exercisewill be dealt with later). Translation, as it is understood today, beganin the early sixteenth century with Balaram Das. From that time untilthe colonial translations (those by European missionaries, the nativesand the bureaucratic variety) around hundred translated texts havebeen identified, out of which most are in the form of palm-leafmanuscripts. (A detailed list of the translated textspublished/discovered so far is given at the end of this paper).We must clarify here that the list given at the end is notexhaustive, since the search and discovery of fresh evidence ofmanuscripts is still in process. It has been prepared taking intoaccount the evidence and information available so far in state