Dance and Music of Orissa

Orissa has a superb tradition of dance and music. This is evident from the images of dancers and musicians which are carved on the temple walls. Odissi Music is a classical form that resembles greatly with the Hindustani and Carnatic music, having the same tradition of raga and tala.

Odissi ragas are different from the ragas of Hindustani and Carnatic music. The chief Odissi ragas are Kalyana, Nata, Shree Gowda, Baradi, Panchama, Dhanashri, Karnata, Bhairavee and Shokabaradi.

Some great names in Odissi music are late Singhari Shyamasundar Kar, Markeandeya Mohapatra, Kashinath Pujapanda, Balakirshan Das, Bhubaneswari Mishra and Shymamani Devi.

Dance forms of Orissa include the classical Odissi dance, Chhau Dance, Mahari Dance and some folk dances.

Odissi dance is the typical classical dance form of Orissa and has its origin in the temples. The dance has some distinctive features like rhythm, the bhangimas and mudras which are of divine significance. The dance form largely deals with the love theme of Radha and Krishna. It is accompanied by Odissi Music at the backdrop. The greatest exponents in Odissi dance are Sanjukta Panigrahi and Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra who had dedicated their lives for the development of this dance form.

Other popular dance forms of the state include Chhau, Sambalpuri, Mahari and some folk dances like Pala-Badi, Daskathia etc.