One of the main topics of ancient Sanskrit literature and medieval literature from different
parts of India are Rama and Krishna oriented themes. From Valmiki Ramayana in Sanskrit to
Ramayana in different vernacular languages of Tamil Telgu Malayalam Kannada Assamese
Gujarati Bengali Odishi Marathi and Hindi all have proceeded from the rudimentary stage of
local language literature to become Mahakavyas in their respective areas and reached every nook
and corners of the region galvanizing the minds and hearts of the populace. Although they have
been composed in different periods and the poets and composers have a different style of
presentation of their own they acquired the status of original spokespersons of Ramayana in
their respective regions. It is a fact that Indian languages and literature are enriched by the
form content ideas and ideologies of the epics of yesteryears. After Rama became accepted as
an incarnation of Vishnu and after the popularization of devotion of Rama in the fourteenth
century all literature was intertwined in the current of a feeling of love and devotion. This
trend has been manifested in the work of Balarama Dasa one of the doyens of litterateurs of
medieval Odisha. He equated Rama with Lord Jagannath and named his version of Ramayana as
Jagamohana Ramayana itself. He belonged to a group of litterateurs who were famous in the
history of Odisha as Panchasakhas and were known for their sublimity egalitarianism and
intellectualism. It is always important to revisit the works of literature of different periods
to find out about the state of mind of those writers and composers who generated their literary
marvels to establish their views emphatically with a reformative approach. In Odisha the
Panchasakhas were the champions of liberty fraternity and equality. Therefore it is even more
important to analyse their works again to escalate the idea of free thought and expression and
rescue the gamut of their opinions and ideas from intellectual hibernation.
