Utkala

Northern Indian brahmin group that
makes up one of the five northern brahmin communities (Pancha Gauda); the
other four are the Kanaujias, the
Maithilas, the Gaudas, and the
Saraswats. Utkala brahmins are found
only in the coastal regions of Orissa, on
the Bay of Bengal, but their ritual control over the pilgrimage sites there, particularly the city of Puri, have helped
them remain a significant group.