KARANA CASTE SYSTEM

While writing Oriya history, historians like Sir W.W.Hunter [3] and Andrew Stirling considered the facts related in Madala Panji as base. The Madala Panji was traditionally written on a year to year basis. On Vijaya-Dashami day, the Karanas (official history writers of Puri, a caste of Odisha, involved in keeping the chronicle. This ritual is cited as a proof that the tradition of keeping this chronicle began with Oriya king Chodaganga Dev (1078–1150) himself.

According to the tradition, Chodaganga created 24 families of Karanas to preserve the temple records. Of these, five were entrusted with the writing and preservation of the Madala Panji. They are:

Panjia Karan—preserves the Madala Panji,

Tadau Karan—writes the Madala Panji,

Deula Karan—enforces the Madala,

Kotha Karan—the main compiler,

Baithi Karan – assistant

Out of the 24 families some are Rajputs and others are Brahmins. Normally they follow brahmin tradition.