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24 Translating Medieval Orissamuseums and manuscript collections in university libraries.Moreover, the dating of the manuscripts not accompanied bypuspika (colophon) might not be accurate for several reasons. First,except for the writer-translators who were also kings, rulers, andsome major writers like Balaram Das, Jagannath Das andDhananjaya Bhanja, it has not been possible to trace the genealogyof most of the writers. Secondly, several writer-translators share thesame names, which are often the names of the majorwriters/translators, which adds to the confusion. However, it can beclaimed with certainty that all the translated texts mentioned herebelong to a period before European colonization and were producedwithin fifty years before or after the dates mentioned against them.Development of Translational Practice from 16 th to early 19 thCenturyThe long list of translated texts both in print and inmanuscript form mentioned above proves that translational practicein medieval Orissa was an important cultural activity. Comparedwith the translations during this period, translational activitybetween 11 th century (when written Oriya discourse consolidateditself) and early 15 th century is almost negligible. That a literarytradition, which remained almost dormant during a four-hundredyear time-span, should proliferate in such a manner during the nextthree hundred and fifty years indicates that a cultural upheaval ofsorts had taken place in the interregnum. This cultural upheaval isrelated to the rise of a nascent language-based patriotism aroundKapilendra Dev’s consolidation of political power. While analyzingthis cultural phenomenon K.C. Panigrahi (1986:289) states:A love for the Oriya language, literature and culture wastherefore an inevitable consequence of the new fermentcreated by the strong and vigorous rule of Kapilesvara.Since the topmost of castes, particularly the Brahmins