Odia DNA
Genetic origins and closest populations · India (Odisha) · South Asia
Odisha lies on India's east coast, on the Bay of Bengal, and was the ancient region of Kalinga, whose conquest by the emperor Ashoka in the 3rd century BC is one of the best known events of early Indian history. Odia is an Indo-Aryan language. This page uses the average of the Khandayat, one of the state's largest communities. Steppe-related ancestry (12.8%) and Iranian Neolithic farmers (9.7%) sit beside 77.5% South Asian hunter-gatherer related ancestry (Irula proxy). Like the Bengali average, it has slightly more steppe-related than Iranian-related ancestry, but unlike Bengal it shows no East Asian component, even though Odisha is also home to many Munda-speaking Adivasi communities. No other average in our panel is very close: the nearest are Bundeli speakers from Madhya Pradesh (0.0209), Teli Sahu samples from Bihar and Bhojpuri Dalit samples, all from the north rather than from neighbouring Andhra Pradesh. The closest ancient group, Roopkund around 800 AD, is at 0.0463.
- Ancient components in our model: South Asian hunter-gatherer related (Irula proxy) 77.5%, Steppe herders (Yamnaya) 12.8%, Iranian Neolithic farmers 9.7%
- Closest modern population in our data: Bundeli (Manjhi Madhya Pradesh), distance 0.0209
- Closest ancient group in our data: India Uttarakhand Early Medieval Roopkund c.800CE (South Asian Profile), distance 0.0463
Odia is one of the 335 modern populations in our population genetics atlas. The numbers on this page describe the average Global25 (G25) genome of the Odia individuals sampled in India (Odisha), listed in the G25 sheet as "Odia_Khandayat". Like every population average, it smooths over a lot of variation between individuals.
Ancient make-up of the Odia average
Modelled as a mix of deep ancestral reference populations, the Odia average comes out as 77.5% South Asian hunter-gatherer related (Irula proxy), 12.8% Steppe herders (Yamnaya) and 9.7% Iranian Neolithic farmers. The South Asian hunter-gatherer related (Irula proxy) component reflects the deep hunter-gatherer ancestry of South Asia (Ancient Ancestral South Indians). With well over half of the total, this single source dominates the profile.
The fit is acceptable (fit distance 0.030): treat the proportions as a good approximation rather than exact values. This population was modelled with a global set of reference populations (ancient genomes, plus modern stand-ins where no suitable ancient genome exists), because West Eurasian sources alone cannot describe it.
Sindhu – South Asian Report
Closest modern populations to Odia
Genetically, the Odia average sits nearest to Bundeli (Manjhi Madhya Pradesh) at 0.021, Bihari (Teli Sahu) at 0.025 and Bhojpuri (Dalit) at 0.028. On our scale, a distance of 0.021 counts as very close. By the tenth closest (Bihari (Nishad Sahni)) the distance grows to 0.033, a common pattern for a population that shares ancestry with its neighbours while keeping a profile of its own.
| # | Population | Distance | Closeness |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bundeli (Manjhi Madhya Pradesh) | 0.0209 | Very close |
| 2 | Bihari (Teli Sahu) | 0.0248 | Very close |
| 3 | Bhojpuri (Dalit) | 0.0279 | Close |
| 4 | Telugu (Syed) | 0.0304 | Close |
| 5 | Banjara (Telangana, Lambada) | 0.0306 | Close |
| 6 | Punjabi (Dalit Sikh) | 0.0311 | Close |
| 7 | Konkani Christian (B) | 0.0318 | Close |
| 8 | Koli (Gujarat) | 0.0324 | Close |
| 9 | Awadhi (Pasi) | 0.0324 | Close |
| 10 | Bihari (Nishad Sahni) | 0.0325 | Close |
Distances are Euclidean distances between averaged G25 coordinates. On our scale, below 0.025 is very close, below 0.050 close, below 0.080 moderate, and beyond that distant.
Closest ancient populations to Odia
Among ancient genomes, the closest match to the modern Odia average is India Uttarakhand Early Medieval Roopkund c.800CE (South Asian Profile) (c. 800 AD), at 0.046, followed by Iran EBA Shahr-i-Sokhta (IVC Profile) and Pakistan IA Aligrama. That is a close match: much of the modern profile was already present then, while later movements of people added further layers. A close ancient match is not proof of direct descent: it means those individuals carried a similar overall mix of ancestry.
| # | Ancient sample or group | Period | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | India Uttarakhand Early Medieval Roopkund c.800CE (South Asian Profile) | c. 800 AD | 0.0463 |
| 2 | Iran EBA Shahr-i-Sokhta (IVC Profile) | Early Bronze Age | 0.1028 |
| 3 | Pakistan IA Aligrama | Iron Age | 0.1079 |
| 4 | Pakistan HP Butkara | Historical period | 0.1162 |
| 5 | Pakistan HP Aligrama | Historical period | 0.1221 |
| 6 | China Shaanxi HP Northern Zhou Dynasty Xi'an (Burusho Profile) | Northern Zhou dynasty, 557-581 AD | 0.1248 |
| 7 | Pakistan HP Saidu Sharif | Historical period | 0.1295 |
| 8 | Pakistan HP Barikot | Historical period | 0.1431 |
| 9 | Pakistan IA Katelai | Iron Age | 0.1432 |
| 10 | Pakistan IA Gogdara | Iron Age | 0.1444 |
Ancient DNA from India
Our ancient DNA database holds 59 individuals excavated in present-day India, dated from about 2,350 BC to 1860 AD. The most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups among them are R2a (4), H1a (3) and J2b (3), and the most frequent mtDNA haplogroups are M3 (6), H1 (4) and U2 (4). These are people who lived on the same land in the past, not necessarily ancestors of today's Odia population.
Most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups
Ancient DNA studies on India
- Blending borders: reconstructing the genetic history of the Sindhi population (2026)
- Blending borders: reconstructing the genetic history of the Sindhi population (2026)
- The Old Lady spider cave skeletons in Ladakh have diverse maternal genetic origin (2026)
- Layers in the sand: The genetic imprint of migration, culture, and Indus craft in the Thar desert (2026)
- Admixture and Genetic Connectivity: Autosomal Insights Into Indo-Aryan Speakers at the Eastern Edge of the Indian Subcontinent (2026)
- Novel 4400-year-old ancestral component in a tribe speaking a Dravidian language (2025)
- Ancient mitogenomes from Neolithic, megalithic and medieval burials suggest complex genetic history of Kashmir valley, India (2025)
- 50,000 years of evolutionary history of India: Impact on health and disease variation (2025)
Browse them in our ancient DNA database: 59 from India.
Compare yourself with Odia
Paste your G25 coordinates (scaled, one line, with or without a name in front) and we compute your genetic distance to the Odia average and to its closest neighbours, right in your browser. Nothing is uploaded or stored.
| # | Population | Your distance | Closeness |
|---|
This list only covers Odia and its neighbours. To find out which of our reports actually fits your DNA, run the free Report Finder: it runs the same fit test that every report uses before an order.
No G25 coordinates yet? Get a free simulated G25 from your raw DNA file, or order G25 coordinates.
About these numbers
Keep in mind that a population average is a statistical summary of a limited number of sampled individuals. Real people inside any group vary, some carry more of one ancestry and some less, and no genetic profile decides who is or is not Odia. Use these numbers as a map of deep ancestry, not as a label.
Method: averaged G25 coordinates, Euclidean distances to other modern and ancient averages, and a non-negative least-squares model against deep ancestral reference populations (data generated 2026-10-01). Read the full method.
Go deeper than the average
This page describes the Odia average. Your own DNA has its own story: Sindhu – South Asian Report (15€) models your genome against the ancient sources and modern communities of the region, era by era, in a personal PDF report.
A report built for people of South Asian ancestry: ancient regional core (Indus Valley Civilization, BMAC, Steppe migration, Himalayan Iron Age & Classical layers) versus non-regional outside admixture, across 13 communities (Punjabi...
More populations from South Asia
Frequently asked questions
What is the ancient genetic make-up of Odia?
Modelled with deep ancestral reference populations, the Odia average is about 77.5% South Asian hunter-gatherer related (Irula proxy), 12.8% Steppe herders (Yamnaya) and 9.7% Iranian Neolithic farmers. These proportions are model estimates for a group average, not exact values for any one person.
Which populations are genetically closest to Odia?
In the G25 data, the closest modern populations to the Odia average are Bundeli (Manjhi Madhya Pradesh), Bihari (Teli Sahu) and Bhojpuri (Dalit). The closest ancient matches are India Uttarakhand Early Medieval Roopkund c.800CE (South Asian Profile), Iran EBA Shahr-i-Sokhta (IVC Profile) and Pakistan IA Aligrama.
Can a DNA test tell me if I am Odia?
No DNA test can confirm an ethnicity or a nationality. What DNA can show is how similar your genome is to the sampled Odia average and to its neighbours. If you have G25 coordinates, paste them in the comparison box on this page to check that for free.
Which ExploreYourDNA report suits Odia ancestry?
Sindhu – South Asian Report is our regional report for this part of the world. On the Odia average its fit test reads partial, so check your own DNA first: the free Report Finder runs that test on your file.
Where does the data on this page come from?
From the averaged Global25 (G25) coordinates of the sampled individuals: genetic distances to other modern and ancient population averages, and a non-negative least-squares model against deep ancestral reference populations. The full method is described at https://www.exploreyourdna.com/populations#method.