Flowing through the arteries of Orissa, is the living and continuing culture of India... its varied expressions and its rich variety. The very stones speak of the unique history of the nation. The temple-culture condenses the quintessence of India. Whether it is the sacred environs of Lord Jagannath temple, or the eroticism of Konark's Sun temple, the wondrous caves of Jainism or the mystical monasteries of Buddhism, the paintings of folklore or the weaver's magic... Orissa speaks eloquently of a living past and continuing present.The rhythmic and exotic classical 'Odissi dance1 evolved from the cult of the 'devadasis' or female temple dancers reverberates not only within the portals of the nation, but also echoes on foreign shores too. Folk dances like the 'Chhow' or the 'Sambalpuri' dance and tribal dances like the 'Ghumura' & 'Paraja' can set any soul ablaze. Indigenous theatre in the form of 'Prahalad-Nataka' or the 'Dhanuyatra' are expressions of the 'Indianness of India'. Fairs like the 'Bali Jatra' remind us of our ancient maritime links with Bali. And to crown it all is our universally-acclaimed 'Rathyatra' of Lord Jagannath which has infected the world. So... sure and true flows the Orissan culture reflecting the Indian Culture.Visit Orissa - Experience India.
Literature
• Dr K Nayak - Dr K. Nayak is an eminent Oriya writer well known for his books like ‘SADANANDABABUNKA SANSAR’, ‘SUNIMA HEU’ & ‘BANABHOJI’ . He has fifty one numbers of publication in the field of Oriya literature to his credit apart from his works in numbers of magazines and news papers.
• Manoj Das - The Sarala Award winner, Prof. Manoj Das is one of the foremost short-story writers in post-independence India. His work includes short-stories, poems, travelogues and essays in both English and Oriya.
• Prativa Ray - The Sarala award winner, Pritibha Ray is one of the most famous writers in Orissa today. She has been writing Novels and Short stories actively for the past 25 years. Shilapadma, Yagnaseni, Samudra ra Swara are some of her popular novels.
• Birendra Prasad Mohanty - Jeebanaranga award winnner, Late Birendra Prasad Mohanty is a very well known writer .He has written novels, short stories and plays to his credit.
• Annada Shankar Ray - Member of famous Sabuja-Juga poets, Annada Shankar Ray has contributed to Oriya literature through numerous poems related to dreams.
• Utkalmani Gopabandhu Das - Gopabandhu Das (1877-1928) who is one of the founders of the modern Orissa state, is also remembered for his patriotic lyrical poems and lucid, thought provoking prose writings.
• Jayanta Mohapatra - Jayanta Mahapatra has won prominence for his powerful, haunting and visionary work. He explores universal issues of love and death, separation and solitude in his literature wo
Odisi Dance Odissi Dance is the classical form of dance that originated in the ambience of the temples. It is a lyrical form of dance with its subtelety as its keynote. The intimate relationship experienced between the poetry and music in Odissi is a feature on which the aesthetics of the style is built. Odissi bases itself on a wealth of systematized techniques which make this dance aesthetically appealing and visually delightful. It is a "sculpturesque" style of dance with a harmony of line and movement, all its own. What is interesting about Odissi is that body position is not merely a part of the vocabulary or frame-work. The posture by itself conveys a particular mood or message. The names of these postures too express the moods they represent.Dance is an expression of man's joy through rhythmic and spontaneous movements, and this is pretty evident from the numerous traditional dance forms existing in Orissa.
Changu Dance:
The Changu dance derives its name from a kind of drum called Changu, which invariably accompanies the dance. This dance is common to almost all the tribes but is more popular among the Bhuyans. The peculiar feature of the dance is that the men confront the girls with music and song and then recede backwards when the girls confront them. The girls dance standing in a row generally holding each other’s hand.
Chhau Dance:
It is generally performed during the Chaitra Parab festival in the month of Chaitra. It is a dance with a strong folk character; almost like a dance drama. This dance originated perhaps in Mayurbhanj district of Orissa and Sareikela district of Bihar. In this dance footwork and body movement of the dancers are most artistic and virile. Facial expressions are generally absent.ce)
Juang Dance:
The Juang dance is performed to the accompaniment of tambourines. Earlier they used to dance dressed in primitive leaf but not any more. Men sing as the girls dance accompanied by deep sounding tambourines. In one form the girls move around in a single file keeping the right hand on the right shoulder of the girl in front. The Juangs also have what are called the bear dance and the pigeon dance.
Ho Dance:
The Hos are a purely agricultural tribe. They have dances during Magh festival which is held in the month of January when the granaries are full. The chief beverage taken during the celebrations is a kind of home brewed rice beer called Illi. During Ho celebrations all restrictions are set aside.
Other Dances:
o Animal Mask Dance in Ganjam
o Chhau Dance in Mayurbhanj and Nilgiri
o Chaiti Ghoda in coastal Orissa
o Changu Dance in Sundergarh,Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj and Phulbani
o Ghoomra Dance in coastal area
o Dhanu Jatra in Sambalpur
o Dalkhai in Western Orissa
o Dasakathia in South Orissa
o Ghanta Patua in South Orissa
o Jhoomar in Sundergarh
o Karma Dance Mayurbhanj, Sundergarh, Dhenkanal and Sambalpur
o Kedu Dance in Coastal Orissa , Mayurbhanj and Balangir
o Krishna Leela in coastal Orissa
o Medha Nacha in Costal Orissa
o Naga Dance in Puri
o Patua Jatra in coastal Orissa
o Pala Dance in various parts of Orissa
o Paika Nrutya in Mayurbhanj, Khordha
o Ranappa Dance in Ganjam
o Rama Leela in coastal belt of Orissa
o Samprada Dance in Western Orissa
o Tribal Dances in Tribal areas of Orissa
