Author: Dinabandhu Nayak
The art and tradition of the eastern coastal state Odisha is sophisticated and auspicious. The rich culture of Odisha is the blessing of the Lord of the universe, Lord Jagannath. One of such cultural practices of Odisha is Odissi dance. Also known as Orissi in older literature, Odissi is a major ancient Indian classical dance that originated in the Hindu temples of Odisha. The dance is a form of expressing religious stories and spiritual ideas related to Lord Jagannath. The dance also showcases traditions and culture of Odisha. Broadly speaking, Odisha is the home to the ancient and diligent dance…
Revolving around religious themes like Shaivism, Shaktism and Vaishnavism, Chaau Dance ranges from commemorating martial arts, athletics and acrobatics in convivial themes of folklore to an assembled dance form. As the roots of Chaau Dance are deeply embedded in religious festivals, notably they are performed during the spring festival Chaitra Parva. Chaau Dance also spelled as chau or chaauu, is a tribal dance form which is a mixture of dance with martial arts. It is performed in three styles, named after the place where it originated. The Chhau dance of Odisha is known as the Mayurbhanj Chhau. In Jharkhand and West Bengal,…
The culture of Odisha has a heterogenous combination of both classical and folk form. Odisha occupies a unique place among the states of India due the assimilation of various types of racial and cultural elements. Known as “Utkal” Chaiti Ghoda Nacha (the land of excellence in art) that have been maintained from ancient past, Odisha has always held her head high because of brilliant folk traditions. Most of the communities of Odisha have their own cultural way of life which includes folk dance, art & crafts, theatre, songs, rituals, legends and ballades etc irrespective of their level of economic status,…
The festival fervor of Odisha grips its people in the tie of love, Kartika Purnima fondness and brotherhood. “13 Festivals in 12 Months”, a local proverb in Odia proves how much important are festivals to Odisha. These festivals not only impact the way of living life but brings fortune and good luck with tremendous health and wealth. There are few placss in the country where you will find such traditional signature festivals celebrated and Odisha is a state which proudly does so. In this article, we will look at the importance and traditions of a famous and unique religious festival…
The Odisha state, originally part of the Kalinga empire, has a line of bastions depicting the wonderful architecture of Kalinga, including many that lie in the Golden Triangle-that is, the three neighbouring cities of the state of Odisha- Bhubaneswar, Puri, and Konark. Kalingan architecture imbues stones with life. This format shows a non-parallel grandeur with beautiful and intricately carved structures. With unique images and carvings, each piece is so beautifully carved that it almost imparts life and soul into the stones. The Kalinga style is defined as a subset under the Nagara group. This temple style was somewhat restricted within…
Odisha has always managed to captivate with different types of dance forms and folk music that were established ages ago in ancestral lineage. The Kalahandi district of Odisha that literally translates to a ‘pot of arts’ is the home ground of Ghumura dance form. Ghumura folk dance is a fine combination of classical and folk lore. Ghumura signifies ‘a pitcher of soil or clay’, which is utilized as a significant prop. It is performed during festivals and other religious congregations across the district. An ancient war dance, today Ghumura has become the symbol of unity and brotherhood among the varied…
The folk dance signifies the dance of the common people of the villages. Danda Nacha Since pre-historic times, dance forms owe their origin to the traditional folk culture. Folk dances, essentially are the fragrance of the soul of the village life and are vibrant with rural sentiments of the people. Even though folk dances are performed for the sake of enjoyment and amusement, they serve as a bridge of social unity. No festivals, ceremonies or celebrations are complete without a dance performance. Regardless of its geographic distinction, every community or tribe boats its distinctive variety of folk dance. Ganjam district…
Indian mythology can be considered incomplete, without acknowledging the existence of Lord Krishna. It is a name deeply revered by the Hindus. Dhanu Yatra or Dhanu Jatra is all about understanding the divine being who stepped on this Planet a few thousand years ago. This festival celebrates and portrays the Lord in complete majesty and unfolds in Bargarh, Orissa, sometime in the month of December. The Dhanu Yatra, deemed to be Asia’s largest open air theatre, which is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records, comes to life in the quaint town of Bargarh in western Odisha. The…
Introduction Bhattarika, Our group’s history with Badamba is an old one. One of our numbers hails from the neighbourhood and there have been trips to the place all through college and beyond. Bhattarika Situated about 100 kms from Bhubaneshwar by road and about 75 km from Nayagarh, this old town is close to quite a number of temples. Our latest trip began with an invitation to attend the Boita-Bandana (Boat Worship) festival held at Ratapat near Badamba. We decided to attend on the last day of the festival which is held on Kartik Purnima (23rd November 2018). So we started…
Continued from here. On the second day of our trip we had scheduled a visit to Kantilo on the other side of the Mahanadi and going straight to Ratapat from there for the festival itself. We began our day by getting lost on our way to Kantilo. Luckily the detour was small as we found our way back easy enough. Crossing the bridge we laid eyes on Mankadagadia and continued on our way to our destination, which was the Neelamadhaba Temple on top of the Bramhadri and Niladri hills. Kantilo is situated on the banks of the Mahanadi and was at…