Oriya culture - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Dance

Odissi, also spelled Orissi , is one of the eight classical dance forms of India. It originates from the state of Orissa, in eastern India. It is the oldest surviving dance form of India on the basis of archaeological evidences. The classic treatise of Indian dance, Natya Shastra, refers to it as...

or Orissi dance and music is classified as a classical music of India. Odissi has a long, unbroken tradition of 2,000 years, and finds mention in the Natyashastra
Natya Shastra
The Natya Shastra is an ancient Indian treatise on the performing arts, encompassing theatre, dance and music. It was written during the period between 200 BC and 200 AD in classical India and is traditionally attributed to the Sage Bharata.The Natya Shastra is incredibly wide in its scope...

of Bharatamuni

Bharata Muni

Bharata was an ancient Indian musicologist who authored the Natya Shastra, a theoretical treatise on ancient Indian dramaturgy and histrionics, dated to between roughly 400 BC and 200 BC. Indian dance and music find their root in the Natyashastra...

, possibly written circa 200 BC. However, the dance form nearly went extinct during the British period, only to be revived after India's independence by a few proponents, such as Guru Deba Prasad Das, Guru Mayadhar Raut

Mayadhar Raut

Guru Mayadhar Raut is an Indian classical Odissi dancer and Guru.-Early life and education:Mayadhar Raut was born in the village Kantapenhara in Cuttack district, subsequently he received his dance training under the Guru-shishya tradition of Odissi by Rukmini Devi Arundale at Kalakshetra.He is...

, Guru Pankaj Charan Das, Guru Mahadev Rout, Guru Raghu Dutta, and Guru Kelu Charan Mahapatra. Odissi classical dance is about the divine love of Krishna and his consort Radha, mostly drawn from compositions by the notable Oriya poet Jayadeva

Jayadeva

Jayadeva was a Sanskrit poet circa 1200 AD. He is most known for his composition, the epic poem Gita Govinda, which depicts the divine love of Krishna-an avatar of Vishnu and his consort, Radha, and it is mentioned that Radha is greater than Hari, and is considered an important text in the...

, who lived in the twelfth century AD.
Chhau dance (or Chau dance) is form of tribal martial dance attributed to origins in Mayurbhanj princly state of Orissa

Orissa

Orissa , officially Odisha since Nov 2011, is a state of India, located on the east coast of India, by the Bay of Bengal. It is the modern name of the ancient nation of Kalinga, which was invaded by the Maurya Emperor Ashoka in 261 BC. The modern state of Orissa was established on 1 April...

.and seen in the India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

n states of West Bengal

West Bengal

West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...

, Jharkhand

Jharkhand

Jharkhand is a state in eastern India. It was carved out of the southern part of Bihar on 15 November 2000. Jharkhand shares its border with the states of Bihar to the north, Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh to the west, Orissa to the south, and West Bengal to the east...

and Orissa

Orissa

. There are three subtypes of the dance, based on the original places where the subtypes were developed. Seraikella Chau was developed in Seraikella, the administrative head of the Seraikela Kharsawan

Seraikela Kharsawan

Seraikela-Kharsawan district ; formerly the princely state of Seraikella/Saraikella is one of the twenty-four districts of Jharkhand state in eastern India. Seraikela town is the district headquarters of Saraikela Kharsawan district. The district is well-known for Seraikela Chhau, one of the three...

district of Jharkhand

Jharkhand

, Purulia Chau in Purulia district

Purulia District

Purulia district is one of the nineteen districts of West Bengal state in eastern India. The town of Purulia is the administrative headquarters of the district.-History:...

of West Bengal and Mayurbhanj Chau in Mayurbhanj district

Mayurbhanj District

Mayurbhanj district is one of the 30 districts in Orissa state in eastern India. It is the largest district of Orissa by area. Baripada city is the district headquarters. As of 2011 it is the third most populous district of Orissa , after Ganjam and Cuttack.-History:Mayurbhanj District was formed...

of Orissa

Orissa

.
Mahari Dance is one of the important dance forms of Orissa. Mahari dance of Orissa, originated in the temples of Orissa. History of Orissa provides evidence of the 'Devadasi' cult in Orissa. Devadasis were dancing girls who were dedicated to the temples of Orissa. The Devadasis in Orissa were known as 'Maharis' and the dance performed by them came to be known as Mahari Dance.

It was during the reign of Chodagangadeva, Maharis were employed in the temples of Puri. After Chodagangadeva's death, Ananabhimadeva built Natyamandapa in the Jagannath temple for the dance performances inside the temple. Moreover, in those days, the Mahari dancers belonged to different categories namely, the 'Nachunis' (dancers), the Bahara Gauni, the Bhitara Gauni and the Gaudasanis.

The Mahari Dancers of Orissa are supposed to follow certain restrictions, such as:

They cannot enjoy.
They should dance on the ceremonies connected to Lord Jagannath.
They should adhere to the specifications made by the Sastras.
They must always wear clean cloths.
The dancer cannot be physically handicapped.
At the time of the performances, the dancers are not supposed to look at the audience.
The Maharis are married to the Lord at the age of nine.
Before their performances, the Mahari dancers pay their obeisance to the Lord.

In Orissa, one can also come across another type of Mahari dancers, who are known as 'Samarpada Niyoga'. The duty of the 'Samarpada Niyoga' is to dance during the ceremonial procession of the deities. These dancers perform during the Ratha Yatra, Jhulana Yatra, Dola Yatra, etc.

The western Orissa has also great verity of dance forms unique to Orissa culture.The children's verses are known as "Chhiollai", "Humobauli" and "Dauligit", the adolescent poems are "Sajani", "Chhata", "Daika", "Bhekani" : the eternal youth composes "Rasarkeli", "Jaiphul", "Maila Jada", "Bayamana", "Gunchikuta" and "Dalkhai", The work-man's poetry comprises "Karma" and "Jhumer" pertaining to Lord Vishwakarma and the "Karamashani" goddess. The professional entertainers perform Dand, Danggada, Mudgada, Ghumra, Sadhana, sabar–Sabaren, Disdigo, Nachina–Bajnia, Samparda and Sanchar. They are for all occasions, for all time with varieties of rhythm and rhyme.
Pala is a unique form of balladry in Orissa, which artistically combines elements of theatre, classical Odissi music, highly refined Oriya and Sanskrit poetry, wit, and humour. The literal meaning of pala is turn. It is more sophisticated than the other Oriya ballad tradition, Daskathia. Pala is presented in three ways. The names can be mentioned as baithaki or `seated`, in which the performers sit on the ground throughout. The other one is thia or `standing`. This is more popular and aesthetically more satisfying, in which they stand. Badi is a kind of thia in which two groups vie for excellence. This is the most entertaining, as there is an element of competition.

Gotipua dance is another form of dance in Orissa.In Oriya colloquial language Gotipua means single boy. The dance performance done by a single boy is known as Gotipua dance, When decadence and declination came in to Devadasi or mahari tradition due to various reasons this Gotipua dance tradition evolved as sequel as these performance were practiced to please God. It is totally unknown that when exactly this danced form came in to practice. Still some historians say that this dance tradition appears to have originated during the region of Prataprudradev (1497 A.D. to 1540 A.D.) and gained popularity in the subsequent Muslim Rule. Ray Remananda the famous Vaishnavite Minister of King Pratapruda and ardent follower of Sri Chitanya is the originator of this boy dancing tradition, As Vasishnavs were not approving of the females in to dance practices so it possible that the dance tradition must have come after Sri Chaitanya came to Orissa. The Gotipua Dance Tradition is now seen in the village Raghurajpur

Raghurajpur

Raghurajpur is a heritage crafts village in Puri district, Orissa, known for its master Pattachitra painters, an art form which dates back to 5 BC. in the region and Gotipua dance troupes, the precursor to the Indian classical dance form of Odissi; it also known as the birthplace of one of finest...

situated 10 km away from Puri town, situated on the banks of river Bhargabi. It is otherwise known as the Crafts Village as various Orissan handicrafts’ craftsmen reside in this village contributing their expertise in Pattachitra

Pattachitra

Pattachitra is a traditional painting of Orissa, India.These Paintings are based on Hindu Mythology and specially inspired by Jagannath and Vaishnava cult. All colours used in the Paintings are natural and paintings are made fully old traditional way by Chitrakaras that is Oriya Painter....

Painting and other handicrafts.

Literature

The history of Oriya Literature has been mapped by historians along the following stages, Old Oriya (900-1300 AD), Early Middle Oriya (1300-1500 AD), Middle Oriya (1500-1700 AD), Late Middle Oriya (1700 AD-1850 AD) and Modern Oriya (from 1850 AD till the present). But this rude categorization could not skillfully draw the real picture on account of development and growth of Oriya Literature. Here, we split the total periods in different stages such as: Age of Charya Literature, Age of Sarala Das, Age of Panchasakha, Age of Upendra Bhanja, Age of Radhanath, Age of Satyabadi, Age of Marxism or Pragati yuga, Age of Romanticism or Sabuja Yuga, Post Independent Age.

The beginnings of Oriya poetry coincide with the development of Charya Sahitya, the literature thus started by Mahayana Buddhist poets. This literature was written in a specific metaphor named "Sandhya Bhasha" and the poets like Luipa, Kanhupa are from the territory of Orissa.The language of Charya was considered as Prakrita.
The first great poet of Orissa is the famous Sarala Das who wrote the Mahabharata, not an exact translation from the Sanskrit original, but a full-blown independent work. Sarala Mahabharat has 152000 verses compared to 100000 in the Sanskrit version. Among many of his poems and epics, he is best remembered for his Mahabharata. Chandi Purana and the Vilanka Ramayana are also two of his famous creations.Arjuna Das , a contemporary to Sarala Dasa , wrote Rama-Bibha , a significant long poem in Oriya.
Towards the 16th century, five poets emerged , though there are hundreds year gap in between them .But they are known as Panchashakhas as they believed to same school of thought , Utkaliya Vaishnavism.The poets are :Balaram Das ,Jagannath Das,Achyutananada Das,Ananta Das and Jasobanta Das . The Panchasakhas are very much Vaishnavas by thought . In 1509 Chaitanya, an Oriya devotee of Vishnu whose grandfather Madhukar Mishra had emigrated to Bengal, came to Orissa with his Vaishnava message of love. Before him Jayadeva

Jayadeva

, one of the foremost composers

Works of Jayadeva

Jayadeva was a well known Sanskrit poet and lyricist who was born in Kenduli, Orissa in the 11th century AD. The works of Jayadeva have had a profound influence on Indian culture. It forms the basis of the east Indian classical dance form, Odissi, and has strongly influenced the Bharatanatyam...

in Sanskrit, had prepared the ground by heralding the cult of Vaishnavism through his Geetagovinda. Chaitanya’s path of devotion was known as Raganuga Bhakti Marga , but the Panchasakhas differed from Chaitanyas and believed in Gyana Mishra Bhakti Marga , which has similarities with the Buddhist philosophy of Charya Literature stated above.
At the end of age of Panchasakha , the prominent poets are Dinakrushna Das,Upendra Bhanja and Abhimanyu Samanta Simhar. Verbal jugglery, obscenity and eroticism as the characteristics of Shringara Kavyas, became the trend of this period to which Upendra Bhanja took a leading role.His creations were Baidehisha Bilasa,Koti Brahmanda Sundari,Lavanyabati were proved landmark in Oriya Literature.Upendra Bhanja was conferred with the title Kabi Samrat of Oriya literature for the aesthetic poetic sense and verbal jugglery proficiency.Dinakrushna Das’s Rasokallola and Abhimanyu samanta Simhara’s Bidagdha Chintamani are prominent kavyas of this time.
The first Oriya printing typeset was cast in 1836 by the Christian missionaries which made a great revolutions in Oriya literature, instead of palm leaf inscription. The books were being printed and the periodicals and journals were published. The first Oriya Magazine of 'Bodha Dayini' was published from Balasore in 1861. The main object of this magazine was to promote Oriya literature and to draw attention to the lapses in government policy. The first Oriya paper, 'The Utkal Deepika' made its appearance in 1866 under the editorship of late Gouri Sankar Ray with the help of late Bichitrananda. The publication of these papers during the last part of the 19th century encouraged the modern literature and acted as a media to provide a wide readers range for the writers, The educated intellectuals came in contact with the English Literature and got influenced.Radhanath Ray

Kabibar Radhanath Ray

Radhanath Ray is the principal architect of the era of initial modernity in Oriya poetry during the later part of nineteenth century and is honoured in Oriya literature with the title “Kabibara”...

(1849–1908) is the prime figure , who tried to write his poems with the influence of Western Literature. He wrote Chandrabhaga,Nandikeshwari,Usha, Mahajatra,darbar and Chilika wee the long poems or Kavyas. Fakir Mohan Senapati

Fakir Mohan Senapati

Fakir Mohan Senapati born on January 13, 1843, at Mallikashpur in Balasore, played a leading role in establishing the distinct identity of Oriya, a language mainly spoken in the Indian state of Orissa...

(1843–1918), the prime figure of modern Oriya Fiction Prose is the product of that generation. He was considered the Vyasakabi

Fakir Mohan Senapati

or founder poet of Oriya language

Oriya language

Oriya , officially Odia from November, 2011, is an Indian language, belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European language family. It is mainly spoken in the Indian states of Orissa and West Bengal...

. Fakir Mohan Senapati is well known for his novel Chha Maana Atha Guntha .it is the first Indian novel to deal with the exploitations of landless peasants by the feudal Lord. It was written much before the October revolution of Russia or much before the emerging of Marxist ideas in India.

With rise of freedom movement, a literary though was emerged with the influence of Gandhiji and idealistic trend of Nationalism formed as a new trend in Oriya Literature.Much respected personality of Orissan culture and history, Utkalmani Gopabandhu Dash (1877–1928) has founded a school at a village Satyabadi near Sakshigopal of Orissa and an idealstic literary movement influenced the writers of this age . Godabarisha Mohapatra, Kuntala-Kumari Sabat the other renowned name of this age.

With the emergence of soviet Russia in 1935, Communist party was formed in Orissa and a periodicals named "Adhunika" was published by the party.Bhagawati Charan Panigrahi and Sachidananda Routray were the founder member and writer/poets of the party.Bhagwati turned to a fiction writer and though Sachidananda Routray (who is more known as "Sachi Routra" or Sachi Babu) has written some of the short stories but was actually remembered for his poems. Influenced by the romantic thoughts of Rabindranath tagore, during the thirties when the progressive m Marxian movements was in full flow in Oriya Literature, Kalindi Charan panigrahi, the brother of Bhagabati Charan Panigrahi,the founder of Marxian Trend in Orissa , formed a group circa 1920 called "Sabuja Samiti." Mayadhar Mansingh was a renowned poet of that time though he was considered as a romantic poet, but he kept the distance away from the influence of rabindranath successfully.
As the successor of Sachi babu, two poets Guruprasad Mohanty(popularly known as Guru Prasad ) (1924–2004) and Bhanuji rao came with T.S.Eliot and published their co authored poetry book "Nutan Kabita" Later, Ramakanta Rath modified the ideas . Sitakanta Mohapatra,soubhagya kumar mishra,Rajendra kihore Panda , Brajanath Rath, Jayanta Mahapatra, Kamalakant Lenka, J P Das, Brahmotri Mohanty, Mamata Dash, Amaresh Patnaik, Hrushikesh Mallick, Sunil Kumar Prusty, Sucheta Mishra, Aparna Mohanty, Pritidhara Samal, Basudev Sunani,Gajanan Mishra, ,Bharat Majhi are some poets of this contemporary age. In the Post-Independence Era Oriya fiction assumed a new direction.The trend which Fakir Mohan has started actually developed more after 50’s of last century. Gopinath Mohanty

Gopinath Mohanty

Gopinath Mohanty ,winner of the prestigious jnanpith award, eminent Oriya novelist of the mid-twentieth century is arguably the greatest Oriya writer after Fakir Mohan Senapati .-Early life and education:...

(1914–1991),Surendra Mohanty and Manoj Das (1934- ) are considered as three jewels of this time. The other significant fiction writers are Chandrasekhar Rath, Shantanu Acharya,Mohapatra Nilamani Sahoo,Rabi Patnaik, Jagadish Mohanty

Jagadish Mohanty

Jagadish Mohanty ' is a renowned Oriya writer, considered as a trendsetter in modern Oriya fiction, has received the prestigious Sarala Award 2003, Orissa Sahitya Akademy Award 1990, Jhankar Award, 1985 Dharitri Award, Prajatantra Award....

,Kanheilal Das.Satya Mishra, Ramchandra Behera,Padmaja Pal, Yashodhara mishra and Sarojini Sahoo

Sarojini Sahoo

Sarojini Sahoo is an Orissa Sahitya Academy Award winner Indian feminist writer, a columnist in The New Indian Express and associate editor of Chennai based English magazine Indian AGE, who has been enlisted among 25 Exceptional Women of India by ‘Kindle’ English magazine of Kolkata.Born in the...

are few writers whose writings have created a new age in the field of fiction. After 1970, the women wing of Oriya writers emerged as a prime voice of feminism. Jayanti Ratha,Susmita Bagchi.Paramita Satpathy,Hiranmayee Mishra, Chirashree IndraSingh Supriya Panda, Gayatri Saraf , Mamata Chowdhry are few fiction writer in this period ,But among all the women writers Sarojini Sahoo

Sarojini Sahoo

played a significant role for her feministic and sexuality approach in fiction.For feminism she is considered as the Simone de Beauvoir

Simone de Beauvoir

Simone-Ernestine-Lucie-Marie Bertrand de Beauvoir, often shortened to Simone de Beauvoir , was a French existentialist philosopher, public intellectual, and social theorist. She wrote novels, essays, biographies, an autobiography in several volumes, and monographs on philosophy, politics, and...

of India, though theoretically she denies the Hegelian theory of "Others" developed by Simone

Simone de Beauvoir

in her The Second Sex

The Second Sex

The Second Sex is one of the best-known works of the French existentialist Simone de Beauvoir. It is a work on the treatment of women throughout history and often regarded as a major work of feminist literature and the starting point of second-wave feminism. Beauvoir researched and wrote the book...

. Unlike to Simone

Simone de Beauvoir

, Sarojini

Sarojini Sahoo

claims the women are "Others" from masculine perspective but as a human being, she demands for similar right as Plato

Plato

Plato , was a Classical Greek philosopher, mathematician, student of Socrates, writer of philosophical dialogues, and founder of the Academy in Athens, the first institution of higher learning in the Western world. Along with his mentor, Socrates, and his student, Aristotle, Plato helped to lay the...

recommended.
In the field of drama, the traditional Oriya theatre is the folk opera, or Jatra, which flourishes in the rural areas of Orissa. Modern theatre is no longer commercially viable. But in the 1960, experimental theatre made a mark through the works of Manoranjan Das

Manoranjan Das

Manoranjan Das is an influential Indian dramatist, and pioneer of modernism in Oriya Literature. He is known for his experimentalism and deep socio-political awareness, who became most known in the 1960s with his experimental theatre....

, who pioneered the new theatre movement with his brand of experimentalism. Bijay Mishra,Biswajit Das,Kartik Rath, Ramesh Chandra PanigrahRatnakar Chaini, Ranjit Patnaik continued the tradition.
As a whole, we can say, now days Oriya literature is a strong wing of Indian Literature to represent in world forum.

Music

Sixteenth century witnessed the compilation of literature on music. The four important treatises written during that time are Sangitamava Chandrika, Natya Manorama, Sangita Kalalata and Gita Prakasha. Odissi music is a combination of four distinctive kinds of music, namely, Chitrapada, Dhruvapada, Panchal

Panchal

Panchal is an Indian title, in tune with the Hindu caste system, that represents some of the castes that are predominant in the Indian state of Gujarat that are either agriculturalists or blacksmiths.-Ethnicity:...

and Chitrakala. When music uses artwork, it is known as Chitikala. A unique feature of Oriya music is the Padi, which consists of singing of words in fast beat.

Being a part of the rich culture of Orissa, its music is also as much charming and colorful. Odissi music is more two thousand five hundred years old and comprises a number of categories. Of these, the five broad ones are Tribal Music, Folk music

Folk music

Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....

, Light Music, Light-Classical Music and Classical Music. Anyone who is trying to understand the culture of Orissa must take into account its music, which essentially forms a part of its legacy.
In the ancient times, there were saint-poets who wrote the lyrics of poems and songs that were sung to rouse the religious feelings of people. It was by the eleventh century that the music of Orissa, in the form of Triswari, Chatuhswari, and Panchaswari, underwent transformation and was converted into the classical style.

Folk music like yogi gita,kendara gita,dhuduki badya,prahallad natak,palla,sankirtan, mogal tamasa,gitinatya,kandhei nacha,kela nacha,ghoda nacha,danda nacha and daskathia are popular in orissa.

Almost every tribal group has their own distinct song and dance style.

Structural art

Other cultural attractions include the Jagannatha Temple in Puri

Puri

Puri is district headquarter, a city situated about south of state capital Bhubaneswar, on the eastern coast of the Bay of Bengal in the Indian state of Orissa. It is also known as Jagannath Puri after the Jagannath Temple . It is a holy city of the Hindus as a part of the Char Dham pilgrimages...

, known for its annual Rath Yatra or Car Festival, the unique and beautiful applique artwork of Pipili, silver filigree ornamental works from Cuttack

Cuttack

Cuttack is the former capital of the state of Orissa, India. It is the headquarters of Cuttack district and is located about 20 km to the north east of Bhubaneswar, the capital of Orissa. The name of the city is an anglicised form of Kataka that literally means The Fort, a reference to the...

, the Patta chitras (palm leaf paintings), famous stone utensils of Nilgiri

Nilagiri

Nilagiri is a town and a notified area committee in Balasore district in the Indian state of Orissa.-History:Orissa Freedom Fighters like Banamali Das, Baishnab Patnaik and Nanda Kishore Patnaik violently fought against the local prince and forced him to surrender to newly formed Indian National...

(Balasore) and various tribal influenced cultures. The Sun temple at Konark is famous for its architectural splendour while the 'Sambalpuri textiles' equals it in its artistic grandeur.The saree of Orissa is much in demand throughout the entire world. The different colors and varieties of sarees in Orissa make them very popular among the women of the state. The handloom sarees available in Orissa can be of four major types; these are Ikat, Bandha, Bomkai and Pasapalli. Orissa sarees are also available in other colors like cream, maroon, brown and rust. The tie-and-dye technique used by the weavers of Orissa to create motifs on these sarees is unique to this region. This technique also gives the sarees of Orissa an identity of their own.

Sand Art

In Orissa, a unique type of art form is developed at Puri

Puri

. But it spreads all over the world. To carve a sand sculpture, the raw material is the only clean and fine-grained sand mixed with water. With the help of this type of sand and with the blessings of God and by the magic of fingures, an artist can carve a beautiful and attractive sculpture on the beach
Although not historically proved, there is an interesting story in the Orissan myths regarding the origin of sand sculpture like follows :- " Poet Balaram Das, the author of Dandi Ramayan was a great devotee of Lord Jagannath. Once during Ratha Yatra (Car Festival), he tried to climb the chariot of Lord Jagannath to offer his prayer. Since he wasn't allowed by the priests of the chariot to climb it and also insulted by them. With a great frustration and humiliation he came to the beach (Mahodadhi) and carved the statues of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra on the Golden sand.

Religion

In its long history, Orissa has had a continuous tradition of dharmic religions especially Hinduism

Hinduism

Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...

, buddhism

Buddhism

Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...

and Jainism

Jainism

Jainism is an Indian religion that prescribes a path of non-violence towards all living beings. Its philosophy and practice emphasize the necessity of self-effort to move the soul towards divine consciousness and liberation. Any soul that has conquered its own inner enemies and achieved the state...

. Ashoka

Ashoka

Ashok Maurya or Ashoka , popularly known as Ashoka the Great, was an Indian emperor of the Maurya Dynasty who ruled almost all of the Indian subcontinent from ca. 269 BC to 232 BC. One of India's greatest emperors, Ashoka reigned over most of present-day India after a number of military conquests...

's conquest of Kalinga (India)

Kalinga (India)

Kalinga was an early state in central-eastern India, which comprised most of the modern state of Orissa/Utkal , as well as the Andhra region of the bordering state of Andhra Pradesh. It was a rich and fertile land that extended from the river Damodar/Ganges to Godavari and from Bay of Bengal to...

made buddhism a principal religion in the state which led to establishment of numerous stupas and buddhist learning centres. During Kharavela

Kharavela

Khārabēḷa was the third and greatest emperor of the Mahāmēghabāhana Dynasty of Kaḷinga . The main source of information about Khārabeḷa is his famous seventeen line rock-cut Hātigumphā inscription in a cave in the Udayagiri hills near Bhubaneswar, Orissa.During the reign of Khārabēḷa, the Chedi...

's reign Jainism

Jainism

found prominence. However by middle of 9th century CE there was a revival of Hinduism

Hinduism

Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...

as attested by numerous temples such as Mukteshwara, Lingaraja, Jagannath and Konark which were erected starting from the late 7th century CE. Part of the revival in hinduism was due to Adi Shankaracharya who proclaimed Puri

Puri

to be one of the four holiest places (dhams) for hinduism. Orissa has therefore a syncretic mixture of the three dharmic religions as attested by the fact that the Jagannath Temple

Jagannath Temple

-India:*Jagannath Temple, Puri, Orissa, India*Jagannath Temple, Koraput, Orissa, India*Jagannath Temple, Baripada, Mayurbhanj, Orissa, India*Jagannath Temple, Nayagarh, Orissa, India*Jagannath Temple, Ranchi, Jharkhand, India*Jagannath Temple, Delhi, India...

in Puri is considered to be holy by Hindus, buddhists and Jains

Jainism

.

Presently, the majority of people in the state of Orissa are Hindus. As per the census of 2001, Orissa is the third largest Hindu populated state (as a percentage of population) in the countrythis table

Hindus by district in India

The data is taken from the 2001 census, which excludes the following groups: A part of the nomadic Hindu population, Hindu refugees of Lhotsam ethnic group from Bhutan, Hindu refugees of Tamil ethnic group from Sri Lanka, Hindu immigrants from Bangladesh and Nepal, Stateless Hindus from Burma and...

. There is a rich cultural heritage in the state owing to Hindu faith. For example, Orissa is home to several Hindu saints. Sant Bhima Bhoi

Bhima Bhoi

Bhima Bhoi was a poet and Satya Mahima Dharma activist from Orissa, India.The most permanent contribution of Orissa toour cultural heritage is Bhima Bhoi, Poet-prophet of Mahima dharma, who wielded his pen against the prevailing social injustice, religious bigotry, and caste discrimination...

was a leader of the Mahima sect movement

Mahima Religion

The Mahima Dharma is a Hindu sect primarily prevalent in Orissa and near by states...

. Sarala Dasa

Sarala Dasa

Sarala Dasa was one of the great scholars of Oriya literature whose work formed a perennial source of information for succeeding generations....

, was the translator of the epic Mahabharata

Mahabharata

The Mahabharata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India and Nepal, the other being the Ramayana. The epic is part of itihasa....

in Oriya. Chaitanya Dasa was a Buddhistic-Vaishnava

Vaishnavism

Vaishnavism is a tradition of Hinduism, distinguished from other schools by its worship of Vishnu, or his associated Avatars such as Rama and Krishna, as the original and supreme God....

and writer of the Nirguna Mahatmya. Jayadeva

Jayadeva

was the author of the Gita Govinda
Gita Govinda
The Gita Govinda is a work composed by the 12th-century poet, Jayadeva, who was born in Kenduli Sasan near Puri in Orissa. It describes the relationship between Krishna and the gopis of Vrindavana, and in particular one gopi named Radha...

.

However, while Orissa is predominantly Hindu it is not monolithic. The state also has a Christian and Muslim minority. During the past ten years, there has been widely reported religious violence in Orissa especially between hardline Hindu groups and Christian missionaries.

Oriya Cinema

The Oriya film production in the initial years was very slow. After first Oriya film Sita Bibaha, only two films were produced till 1951. A joint consortium of landlords and businessmen who collected fund after 1948 produced those two movies.The 1951 production Roles to Eight was the first Oriya film having an English name. It was released after 15 years of the first Oriya film Sita Bibaha. It was the fourth Oriya film produced by Ratikanta Padhi.The eleventh Oriya film Sri Lokenath

Sri Lokenath

Sri Lokenath is an Oriya film directed by Prafulla Sengupta, and based on the story by Aswini Kumar Ghosh. The Indian socio-fantasy film won a National Film Award in 1960, and was the 11th Oriya film produced under Ruprang Pvt. Ltd..-Plot:...

was the first Oriya film, which got National Award in 1960 directed by Prafulla Sengupta.

The name of Prasantha Nanda would always come while dealing with Oriya Film Industry. He was present in Oriya films since 1939, but he became super active only after 1976. Nanda served Oriya Film Industry as an actor, director, screenplay writer, and lyricist and even as a playback singer. Such a versatile genius is quite rare in Indian cinema history. Uttam Mohanty

Uttam Mohanty

Uttam Mohanty is one of the most popular Ollywood stars in the state of Orissa in India.-Early life:Uttam Mohanty is one of the most popular Ollywood stars in the state of Orissa in India. He has to his credit more than 135 Oriya films to date and has acted in 30 Bengali films and in the only...

, whose debut film Abhiman won accolade, is now the ruling hero of the Oriya Film Industry. His wife Aparajita Mohanty

Aparajita Mohanty

Aparajita Mohanty is an Oriya movie actress based in Bhubaneswar, Orissa, India. She is the wife of Oriya actor Uttam Mohanty and mother of actor Babushan Mohanty.-Filmography:-External links:**...

is a very successful leading lady of Oriya films.

Oriya cuisine

Orissa has culinary tradition spanning centuries if not millennia. The kitchen of the famous Jagannath temple in Puri

Puri

is reputed to be the largest in the world, with a thousand chefs, working around 752 wood-burning clay hearths called chulas, to feed over 10,000 people each day.

Rasagolla, one of the most popular desserts in India, is in fact an Oriya invention. It had been enjoyed in Orissa for centuries before being passed on to neighboring Bengal. The well-known rice pudding, kheeri (kheer) that is relished all over India, also originated in Puri .two thousand years ago.

In fact, some well-known recipes, usually credited to Bengal, are of Orissan origin. This is because during the Bengal renaissance, Brahmin cooks from Orissa, especially from Puri, were routinely employed in richer Bengali households. They were famed for their culinary skills and commonly referred to as Ude Thakurs (Oriya Brahmin-cooks). As a result, many Oriya delicacies got incorporated into the Bengali kitchen.
Pakhala

Pakhala

Pakhaḷa is an Oriya term for an Indian food consisting of cooked rice washed or little fermented in water. The liquid part is known as Toraṇi. It is popular in Orissa, Bengal, Assam, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh. The Bengali name for this dish is Panta Bhat. Eating pakhal has been recommended to...

, a dish made of rice, water, and yoghurt, that is fermented overnight, is very popular in summer, particularly in the rural areas. Oriyas are very fond of sweets and no Oriya repast is considered complete without some dessert at the end.
A typical meal in Orissa consists of a main course and dessert. Typically breads are served as the main course for breakfast, whereas rice is eaten with lentils (dals) during lunch and dinner. The main course also includes one or more curries, vegetables and pickles. Given the fondness for sweet foods, the dessert course may include generous portions of more than a single item. Oriya desserts are made from a variety of ingredients, with milk, chhenna (a form of ricotta cheese), coconut, rice, and wheat flour being the most common.

Literature

ile:Fakir Mohan.gif|thumb|right|115px|Fakir Mohan Senapati

Fakir Mohan Senapati

]
The history of Oriya Literature is long.

Language

The official language of the state, spoken by the majority of the people is Oriya

Oriya language

. Oriya belongs to the Indo-Aryan

Indo-Aryan languages

The Indo-Aryan languages constitutes a branch of the Indo-Iranian languages, itself a branch of the Indo-European language family...

branch of the Indo-European

Indo-European languages

The Indo-European languages are a family of several hundred related languages and dialects, including most major current languages of Europe, the Iranian plateau, and South Asia and also historically predominant in Anatolia...

language family

Language family

A language family is a group of languages related through descent from a common ancestor, called the proto-language of that family. The term 'family' comes from the tree model of language origination in historical linguistics, which makes use of a metaphor comparing languages to people in a...

, and is closely related to Bengali

Bengali language

Bengali or Bangla is an eastern Indo-Aryan language. It is native to the region of eastern South Asia known as Bengal, which comprises present day Bangladesh, the Indian state of West Bengal, and parts of the Indian states of Tripura and Assam. It is written with the Bengali script...

and Assamese

Assamese language

Assamese is the easternmost Indo-Aryan language. It is used mainly in the state of Assam in North-East India. It is also the official language of Assam. It is also spoken in parts of Arunachal Pradesh and other northeast Indian states. Nagamese, an Assamese-based Creole language is widely used in...

. A few tribal languages belonging to the Dravidian

Dravidian languages

The Dravidian language family includes approximately 85 genetically related languages, spoken by about 217 million people. They are mainly spoken in southern India and parts of eastern and central India as well as in northeastern Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Iran, and...

and Munda

Munda languages

-Anderson :Gregory Anderson's 1999 proposal is as follows. Individual languages are highlighted in italics.*North Munda **Korku**Kherwarian***Santhali***Mundari*South Munda **Kharia–Juang***Juang***Kharia...

language families are still spoken by the Adivasi

Adivasi

Adivasi is an umbrella term for a heterogeneous set of ethnic and tribal groups claimed to be the aboriginal population of India. They comprise a substantial indigenous minority of the population of India...

s of the state. The state has a very opulent cultural heritage, one of the richest in India

India

. The capital city of Bhubaneswar

Bhubaneswar

Bhubaneswar is the capital of the Indian state of Orissa, officially Odisha. The city has a long history of over 2000 years starting with Chedi dynasty who had Sisupalgarh near present-day Bhubaneswar as their capital...

is known for the exquisite temples that dot its landscape. The famous classical dance form, Odissi

Odissi

originated in Orissa. Contemporary Orissa has a proud cultural heritage that arose due to the intermingling of three great religious traditions - Hinduism

Hinduism

Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...

, Buddhism

Buddhism

and Jainism

Jainism

. Orissa is also known as Odisha.

Clothes

Oriya people prefer to ware Dhoti

Dhoti

The dhoti or pancha is the traditional men's garment in the in India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. A similar garment is worn in some rural areas of Punjab province in Pakistan, but the use is fast declining...

, Kurtha & Gamucha

Gamucha

Gamucha is a short piece of cloth generally saffron in color.Ga means body and muchha in Begali language means cleaning. It is the local towel of the people of Bengal and Bihar. They are also available in different colors and patterns. For its low price and easy availability it is widely acceptable...

.Women's are seen wearing Sambalpuri Saree

Sambalpuri Saree

Sambalpuri Saree , is a traditional handwoven Ikkat sari or saree wherein the warp and the weft are tie-dyed before weaving. It is produced in the Bargarh, Sonepur, Sambalpur and nearby districts of Orissa...

, Bomkai Saree and Kataki

Kataki

Kataki Sari or Khandua Patta is produced by the “Tantuvaya” community of Maniabandha village, Cuttack district of Orissa, India. In particular, the famous sari designs Kataki are the traditional designs that was produced in the village named Maniabandha and Nuapatna of Orissa...

Saree.

Santh Jaydeva

Jayadeva

was the writer of the Gita Govinda
Gita Govinda
The Gita Govinda is a work composed by the 12th-century poet, Jayadeva, who was born in Kenduli Sasan near Puri in Orissa. It describes the relationship between Krishna and the gopis of Vrindavana, and in particular one gopi named Radha...

and is renowned by the Sikhs as one of their most important bhagats.

Swami Laxmananda Saraswati is a modern-day Hindu saint of Adivasi

Adivasi

heritage. Another well-known modern-day saints is Bhakti Vaibhava Puri Maharaj.

External links

Jagannath Temple (jagannathtemplepuri.com)
Temples of Orissa
Jagannath Dham Puri (Official Website)
Jagannath Ratha-Yatra & The Story of Lord Jagannath (Veda encyclopedia)
Odissi Sri Jagannath (odissi.com)
Jagannath Temple at Puri (templenet)
The Jagannatha Temple (indhistory.com)
Orissa architecture (sscnet.ucla.edu)
Lord Sri Jagannath Temple - Jagannath Dharma
Shri Jagannath Swami Rath Yatra Video
Odissi Directory
Odissi Performing Dancers in USA
Classical Indian dance portal

Category:Oriya culture

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