Cultural Legacy Of Odisha: An Experience That Refuses To Fade Away

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The cultural odyssey of Odia, unveils the mystery as you enter its streets that are still reminiscent of the bygone times. The medley of eye catching architectures, the dialects, the musical and dance highlights hold you enthralled. This was the place where culturally the Ashokan influences merged with the mainstream and enriched the experience even further.

If you want some peaceful time away from the busy metropolis life, you can arrange your next trip here. The temples, the Stupas, and the exotic varieties of birds and humans that captivate you with their audiovisual charm, the visit is surely going to raise your expectations and will certainly live up to it. Odisha is a Hindu Majority state in which there are no crimes reported even occasionally. Humane and helpful is a keyword that describes an Odia person in a nutshell.

Utkal Divas or Utakala Dibasha is celebrated on April 1 every year to remember the day Odisha state was formed after the constant struggle to gain recognition as an independent state. Today is the day to remember the legacy of Odisha to the Indian culture and ethos. Utkala might mean Uttara or the North Kalinga. Or it also might mean Utkarsha kala or the most superior art.

Architectural Legacy

Known as the finest architectural contribution to India, the city of bhuvaneshwar bears a stamp of finesse and grandeur which was handed down to the current generation by Aryans. The most important creations that draw a maximum number of visitors are the Lingaraja Temple, Bhubaneswar, Jagannath Temple at Puri and the great Sun Temple at Konark, primarily built in the Kalinga style of architecture.

1. Lingaraja Temple Is where Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu are worshipped together combined as one Harihara idol. Widely known for its large devotee base, with over 6000 footfalls recorded on a daily basis, Bhuvaneshwar has grown into a visual paradise for tourists.

2. Jagannath is so synonymous with puri that he is lovingly addressed Puri Jagannath and that is the first name that comes to the mind of the visitor whenever he contemplates a visit to Puri. One of the pilgrimage locations in Chardham package, it is known for its glorious Ratha yatra which alone has a religious and historical significance of a kind.

3. An example of sheer architectural brilliance, Konark Sun temple, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site is known for its very impressive silhouette of a huge chariot led by seven horses with twenty-four wheels, dedicated to Lord Sun.

Arts And Cultural Personality Of Odisha

When it comes to Art and culture, Odisha is really a golden window to the soul of India and a part and parcel of its culture and traditions.

1. Patachitra , which when translated to English means cloth painting, appeals to the senses with its mythological paintings, especially the Jagannath and Radha Krishna paintings which have taken the rest of India by storm. They use different varieties of canvas such as palm leaves to paint their ideas.

2.Dhokra, a 4000-year old craft form, is a casting method that employs metallurgical and wax techniques. This craft makes use of alloy of tin and copper or brass and zinc for making the bell metal. You can find bell metal pots and pans and even jewellery.

3. Pipali is the home for applique work which is referred to by locals as 'Pipili Chandua Kama'. Pipali has already garnered attention by entering the Limca Book of records for being the world largest applique work Centre.

4. Originally used in decorating umbellas and canopies for Rath Yatra, the applique work has now entered households to embellish the decorative and festive items. Embroidery and stitch work form the basic ingredients for the applique work.

5. The earliest imprints on Rock during the prehistoric times were found at Viramkhol in Jharsuguda district. With Ashoka's advent, the caves of Ratnagiri, Lalitgiri and Udaygiri were developed into finest hubs of rock paintings whose colours and precision leave us amazed.

6. The 500-year-old Tarakasi art form, is originally from Cuttack, where in fine strands of silver are produced. These are used for Odissi dancers and for decorating Durga puja idols.

7. Recognised worldwide today, the sand art form needs just some fine grained sand and water to turn up an art that surprises you with its life like images. Tourism has put in its dedicated efforts to give it an international coverage.

Odia Festivals

Entire Odia population assembles for Ratha Yatra, prathamashtami and Rajo.

1. Ratha yatra is a procession of Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra that starts from the temple, reaches the Gundecha temple and back with in a period of nine days
2. Enduri pitha, a very delectable sweet is shared and the festival celebrated for the well being of all firstborns, during this major winter event called Prathamashtami

3. A 3 day festival in Mid-June, Rajo festival is dedicated to earth goddess and it is observed by young girls. Pithas are exchanged. You can see varieties of Jhoti Chita art created by Odians at this time of the festival.

4. Durga Puja in Pandals especially at cuttuck is thrilling as you could get to see decorated idols and the pomp and show that follows it.

5. Mahashivratri is another festival that tops the list. This was the day Lord Shiva performed Shiva tandava dance. It is celebrated for the wellbeing of husbands by wives. Dhauli festival, kalinga mahotsav and Rajarani festvials, and the Beach festivals of Chandipur at Puri weave the magical memories of handlooms, the culture and food exhibitions for times to come.

10. The Attire Of An Odian

The sarees typically Odian are known nationwide for their charm and beauty. Kataki, Bomkai, and Sambalpuri Ikat sarees are sold like hot cakes here. The tie and dye and weaving techniques are just unbeatable and technically perfect, Men on the other hand wear relatively simpler dresses like Dhoti Kurta with a cotton towel called Gamucha.

Odisha is a quaint state still untouched by the urbane pretenses. Your visits to small town eateries and the artifact and clothes shops connect you with the innocence, the friendliness, the openness, and the uncorrupted lifestyle of the vintage populace.

8. The Odia Kitchen

Rasgulla, Khira Mohana are the delicious bhogs served in Puri Jagannath and they are extremely popular in and outside Odisha. Odias are glued to rice and use less oil and spice.A typical Odia lunch offers a flavorful assortment of dishes that are distinctively Odisha. When you are in Odia be ready to expect pakhala rice, dal or dalma (dal with lots of nutritious vegetables-something like sambar), a vegetable curry, or a fish or meat curry and Chenna Poda (a roasted cheese sweet) something fried and a fish/meat curry and Mansa Tarkari which means meat curry with potatoes that are loved by one and all, without any dialect or creed distinction. They have contributed richly to the overall Indian culture.

Musicial Odyssey

The best song that reflects Odishas essence in its entirety is Sona Mohapatr's track Rangabati whose magic lingers on long after it is played. Odissi classical traditional songs existed much before the development of Oria as a language. Jayadeva, the stalwart Odia poet composed lyrics, the notation, and tunes and contributed to the development of Odissi music. Sung to the beats of Druta tala, or fast beats, it provides accompaniment to the Odissi classical dance.

The Graceful Dance Of Odissi

Performed by the Devadasi cult, this dance draws its maximum influences heavily from the temple culture. Inspired by the divine saga of true love of Radha Krishna and the poetic lyrics of Jayadeva, this dance always showcases a mythical story, costumes, expressions, gestures and known to be the ever so graceful dance ever known to Indians. Odissi dance is all about grace and laya and it is believed to have been invented by Parvathi.

1. Chhau is a tribal combative dance that took shape in Mayurbhank, involves two groups of dancers carrying shields and swords and combat to the accompaniment of percussion and background music.

2. Gotipua dance is essentially a male oriented dance where in stduents of Akhada, in the age group between 6 to 14, dressed up as girls, dance around the Puri temple. They team up to display some amazing acrobatic movements that keep you at the edge of your seat.

3. Sambalpuri dance form is the king of Odia folk dances of which Dalkhai is the show stealer. Originating from Sambalpur, this dance is performed at the Dussehra. Women in Sambalpuri saris are accompanied by men and dance to the story of Radha Krishna or Rama Sita sung from the epics.

4. Pala is a ballad like performance that combines odissi music, theatrical aspects and Sanskrit poetry laced with humor. The pala is inspired by epics or stories from puranas and is sung by a singer who is accompanied by a band.

Language

Odia language is Indo Aryan and closely related to Bengali and Assamese. The Adivasis speak a slightly different but ancient dialect of Odia even now.