Kavisurya Baladeva Ratha

was an Odia poet and litterateur. He wrote in both Sanskrit and Odia. His works are known for devotional quotient. He is the credited founder of the Dhumpa Sangita.
He composed poems as a Vaishnava, in devotion to Lord Vishnu. Ratha was a musician and scholar.  He was associated with a group of poets, which included Dinakrushna Dasa and Abhimanyu Samantasinghara. His best-known works include KavisurYya Granthavali, Kabisurya Geetabali and Kisora Chandrananda Chaupadi-Chautisa, which combines the two literary forms of chaupadi (a poem having four stanzas (though the term came to refer to any short song in latter times), and chautisa (a 34-stanza poem where every stanza begins with a new letter of the Odia alphabet). Kishora Chandrananda Champu is noted for its emotional quotient and the role it played in enforcing the riti school of Sanskrit literature. He was also the author of several champus including Ratnakara Champu, Premodaya Champu and Kishora Chandrananda Champu. Kishora Chandrananda Champu has both Odia and Sanskrit compositions and it was the Odia part of the work that has been credited with cementing his literary reputation in the language.
Ratha is thought to have invented the dhumpa, a bamboo percussion instrument, that accompanies the Odia folk art form of dhumpa sangita. The dhumpa accompanies recitations of his poetic satires called dhumpa geeta. Many of his poetic pieces, especially the champu are set to dance in Odiss