Sarala-dasa (Sidheswar Panda) of the 14^th century was the first great poet of Oriya, who adapted the classic Mahabharata into simple Oriya and wrote the Chandi Purana and the Vilanka Ramayana. Rama-bibha, written by Arjuna-dasa, is the first long poem in Oriya language.

The Oriya literature was distinctly religious in nature up to 1500 AD.  The next era, more commonly called the Jagannatha Dasa Period, stretches till the 1700 AD and was markedly influenced by the Vaishnava movement, typified by the compositions of Shri Chaitanya. The five friends or Pancha Sakha  -- Balarama Das (author of Oriya Ramayana and Mahabharata), Jaganath Das (Bhagawata Purana) and Ananta Das, Yesowanta Das and Achutananda Das --- were the main composers of this period, who mainly emphasised on translation and adaptation of Sanskrit texts. Other prominent works of this period include the Usabhilasa of Sisu Sankara Dasa, the Rahasya-manjari of Deva-durlabha Dasa and the Rukmini-bibha of Kartikka Dasa.

Ramachandra Pattanayaka's Haravali set the trend for the emergence of a new form of novel in verse during the beginning of the 17^th century. In contrast, poets like Madhusudana, Bhima, Dhivara, Sadasiva and Sisu Isvara-dasa composed Kavyas or long poems based on themes from Puranas. Between 1700-1850, the language became more complex and the usage of words more tricky.  The leaders of the Vaishnava poetry were Upendra Bhanja Das (1670-1720), Baladeva Rath (1779-1845), Devi Krishna Das, Bhakta Charan Das, Abhimanyu, Samanta Sinhar, Bhima-Bhoi (1855-1895), Arakshita Dasa and Gopal Krushna. Upendra Bhanja Das's Kavyas, based on Puranic stories, were masterpieces.   His Lavanyavati is one such Kavya. Baldev's Campu is the unique specimen of Oriya musical drama. Family chronicles in prose and literature relating to religious festivals and rituals were also produced in large numbers during this period. Samar Tarang by Brij Natha Badjena (1730-1800), the only historical poem in Oriya literature, and Catura Vinoda, a humorous prose work, were departures from the literary practices in vogue. The casting of the first Oriya printing typeset in 1836 by the Christian missionaries is another landmark of this period.

Rai Bahadur Radhanatha Ray (1849-1908), Madhusudana Rao (1853-1912) and Phakiramohana Senapati (1843-1918) were three great poets who brought in a modern outlook and spirit into Oriya literature in the middle of the 19^th century. Radhanath Ray's Cilika and Mahayatra reveal the influence of Dante and Milton. Modern Oriya poets include Sachi Kanta Rauta Ray, Godavarisa Mahapatra, Dr Mayadhara Manasimha, Nityananda Mahapatra, Kunjabihari Dasa, Prabhasa Chandra Satpati, Radhanath  (renowned for Mahayatra written in blank verse), Kalindi Charan Panigrahi (Matira Manisha), Mayadhar Mansinha and Gopinath Mohanty (Amritara Santan). Sitakant Mohapatra, a bureaucrat and winner of the Jnanpith Award, is also a name to reckon with in the contemporary Oriya literature.

Although the 12^th century Madala Panji or the Palm-leaf Chronicles of the Jagannatha temple at Puri can be considered as the earliest form of Oriya prose, the modern Oriya prose was really born in the British period. Fakir Mohan Senapathi (1843-1918) was a prolific poet and novelist, who translated the Ramayana and Mahabharata into Oriya. His novel Chaman Atha Gunta deals with the exploitation of village folks by zamindars. Rama Sankara Ray's Kanci-Kaveri (1880) led to the birth of modern drama in Oriya.

Nanda-Kisora Bala, Gopala Chandra Praharaja, Gangadhara Mehera, Chintamani Mahanti and Kuntala-Kumari Sabat Utkala-bharati, Niladri Dasa and Gopabandhu Dasa (1877-1928) were the notable Oriya writers of the 20^th century. The most notable novelists were Umesa Sarakara, Divyasimha Panigrahi, Gopala Praharaja and Kalindi Charana Panigrahi. Criticism, essays and history also became major lines of writing in the Oriya language. Esteemed writers in this field were Professor Girija Shankar Ray, Pandit Vinayaka Misra, Professor Gauri Kumara Brahma, Jagabandhu Simha and Hare Krushna Mahatab. The two brothers, Ramashankara Ray and Gaurisankara Ray, were pioneers in drama, fiction and journalism. Visvanatha Kara and Nilamani Vidyaratna tried to promote Oriya literature through their magazines.