Odissi

Odissi traces its origins to the ritual dances performed in the temples of the eastern coastal state of Odissa. It was earlier known as ‘Odro’ and is now referred to as “Odissi”.The antiquity of Odissi has been traced to early sculptures found in the Rani Gumpha caves at Udaygiri in Orissa dating back to the 2nd century BCE. Odissi is often considered to be the oldest and most sensuous classical dance form rooted in rituals and tradition.Its theoretical base is traced back to ‘NatyaShastra’, the ancient Sanskrit Hindu text on the performing arts. This dance form includes themes from Vaishnavism and others associated with Hindu gods and goddesses like Shiva, Surya and Shakti. The ‘Nitya’(everyday) dance performed by the Maharis/devadasis of the Jagannath temple of Orissa is considered to be the source of Odissi since many principal exponents of this classical dance form originally hailed from Mahari families. They imported their style and rhythm in shaping this exquisite dance form that came to be performed outside the temple courtyards. Sculptures and panel reliefs of the Jagannath temple at Puri, the Brahmeswara temple in Bhubaneswar and the Sun Temple at Konark depict Odissi.Compositions of Shankaracharyain the 8^th century or the 12th century Sanskrit poet Jayadeva’s epic poem ‘Gita Govinda’, inspired, to a large extent, the direction and development of modernOdissi. According to Alexandra Carter, Odissi presumably prospered in the 17th century under the patronage of King Ramachandradeva when the Maharis too received active patronage. In the 19^th century during the anti-devadasi drive by the Victorian colonial state, Odissi finally came on its own, despite retaining its organic links with the traditional mahari dance form.