An important feature of the Odia language seen in the script is the retention of inherent vowel in consonants, also known as schwa, at both medial and final positions.

This absence of schwa deletion, which is also seen in Sanskrit, marks it from the rest of modern Indo-Aryan languages and their equivalent usage in related Brahmic scripts.

[7][8] The curved appearance of the Odia script is a result of the practice of writing on palm leaves, which have a tendency to tear with the use of too many straight lines.

The periods of development are in the following order, The archaic and medieval forms of Odia are more influenced by the calligraphy of the scripts of neighbouring regions, such as, With regards to the epigraphical sources, the antiquities which display the various historical forms of writing in Odia script include rock-edicts, temple inscriptions, stone-slabs, pillar inscriptions, sculptures, copper-plates, coins and palm-leaf manuscripts, illustrated manuscripts, ivory plates and allied materials.

Some of them belonging to different centuries are as follows- With regards to the manuscript sources, the full-fledged script of Odia acquires its classical umbrella hook shape through the development, modification as well as simplification between the 14th and 15th CE, when the palm-leaf manuscript culture becomes dominant in this region.

The subjoined form of ଛ cha is also used for subjoined ଥ tha: The sign for the nasal ଂ ṃ looks similar to the right side of the glyph used for ଫ pha and ଙ ṅa: Odia is an alphasyllabic alphabet or an abugida wherein all consonants have an inherent vowel embedded within.

A different form of ଇ is used with the consonants ଖ (kha), ଥ (tha), ଧ (dha).

It was used in the pre-Independence Orissa (Odisha) region in South Asia and was primarily used by the Karana community who were working for administrative purposes, documentation and keeping records in the royal courts of the Odia princely states (Orissa Tributary States).

So in most cases the reader of Odia will find the related distinctive parts of the letter only below the curved hoop.

The following is a sample text in Odia of Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights ସମସ୍ତ ମନୁଷ୍ୟ ଜନ୍ମକାଳରୁ ସ୍ୱାଧୀନ ଏବଂ ମର୍ଯ୍ୟାଦା ଓ ଅଧିକାରରେ ସମାନ । ସେମାନଙ୍କଠାରେ ବୁଦ୍ଧି ଆଉ ବିବେକ ନିହିତ ଅଛି ଏବଂ ସେମାନଙ୍କୁ ପରସ୍ପର ପ୍ରତି ଭ୍ରାତୃତ୍ୱ ମନୋଭାବରେ ବ୍ୟବହାର କରିବା ଉଚିତ୍ । Samasta manuṣya janmakāḷaru swādhīna ēbaṁ maryẏādā o adhikārarē samāna.

Sēmānaṅkaṭhārē buddhi o bibēka nihita achi ēbaṁ sēmānaṅku paraspara prati bhrātr̥twa manōbhābarē bẏabahāra karibā ucit.

seman̪ɔŋkɔʈʰaɾe bud̪ːʱi o bibekɔ n̪iɦit̪ɔ ɔt͡ʃʰi ebɔŋ semanɔŋku pɔɾɔspɔɾɔ pɾɔt̪i bʱɾat̪ɾut̪wɔ mɔnobʱabɔɾe bjɔbɔɦaɾɔ kɔɾiba ut͡ʃit̪ All human beings from birth are free and dignity and rights are equal.