Understandings of Odisha have often been simplistic and condensed to a notion of a relatively prosperous, urbanized centre in the plain along the sea vis-�-vis a 'hinterland'. As a result of such processes of othering Odisha beyond the coastal world, i.e. the largely Adivasi populated highlands and ostensible backyard areas in coastal perspectives, has often been relegated to the background or even invisiblized. This volume inverts this point of view by bringing together a range of anthropological contributions based on solid, deep ethnographies and deliberately shifts the focus to the less visible and often misrecognized highlands of Odisha - thus questioning dominant, coastal-centric views while acknowledging a multitude of perspectives on Odisha beyond any simplified dichotomy.