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Dances of Puri

Every inch of Orissa and the holy town Puri is immersed in various dance forms. Dances of Puri form the essence of the rich folk culture of the Land of Jagannath. Odissi and Mahari are the two most popular and expressive forms of dance.

Odissi is one of the most beautiful classical dances of Orissa.It is said that graceful Odissi originated in the temples of Orissa. There is a seperate enclosure in the temples of Puri, known as Nata Mandira,for the development of the dance forms. Odissi celebrates and displays the infinite pure love between Lord Krishna and Radha.

The Odissi dance is a fusion of Nrutya and Natya. Some of the unique features of its repertoire are:

Stheyee Nrutya
Moksa Nrutya
Pallavi
Mangacharana
Abhinaya

When one peeps into the sacred history of Puri, one finds that there was a tradition where dancing girls or ‘Devdasi’ were dedicated to the temples. Devdasis useeir lives in the service of the Gods. Devadasis were popualr during the reign of Chodagangadeva who employed them at the Jagannath temple. It is said that Anangabhimadeva constructed a Natyamandapa at the Jagannath temple.