History of Odissi

It is as late the 1950's that the present day Odissi style of dance came into existence. This style emerged from a confluence of scholars, teachers of traditional dance traditions and musicians.

However the state of Orissa itself boasts of a rich heritage of dancing, as is seen in the dance sculptures and reliefs on the temples at Bhubaneshwar. Many historical inscriptions show that for years devadasis or handmaids of gods trained in dance and music were dedicated to the temple of Jagannath (Lord Krishna) at Puri. The Geeta Govinda written by poet Jayadeva was the subject of the dances at the Puri temple. Even today the Odissi dance style retains the rendition of Geeta Govinda. These temple dancers were known as maharis. Gotipuas were a class of young boys who were also trained in dance. They were employed to perform both in temple and in secular functions. The present day Odissi dance style combines the devadasi and the gotipua traditions. They also were inspired by the sculptural legacy at the temples like the sun temple at Konarak.

The legend in this style is undoubtedly Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra who with his dedicated student and exponent, the (late) Sanjukta Panigrahi established the Odissi style on a global platform. Great Gurus like Pankaj Charan Das and Guru Mayadhar Raut have also contributed to the establishment of this style. The most well established practitioners of this style are Sonal Mansingh, Madhavi Mudgal and Kum Kum Mohanty.

The photographs on this site are courtesy Guru Shri Rabindra Atibudhi who is a well established guru and performer in Mumbai /Bombay.