The Odia culture and tradition are replete with many festivals that boasts of a rich heritage. Among those festivals is Prathamastami which celebrates the firstborn of every household in the state. The age-old Odia tradition of Prathamastami is observed on the Krushna Paksha Astami in the lunar month Margasira (November–December). […]
Traditional
The state of Odisha is blessed with religious culture and traditions. It is as famous for its rich and exotic natural environment, lush green forests, eco friendly tourists spots as for its fairs and festivals observed. Odisha observes a huge range of festivals with great fervor and devotion, Akshaya Tritiya […]
Odisha has always managed to captivate with different types of dance forms and folk music that were established ages ago in ancestral lineage. The Kalahandi district of Odisha that literally translates to a ‘pot of arts’ is the home ground of Ghumura dance form. Ghumura folk dance is a fine […]
Revolving around religious themes like Shaivism, Shaktism and Vaishnavism, Chhau dance ranges from commemorating martial arts, athletics and acrobatics in convivial themes of folklore to an assembled dance form. As the roots of Chhau dance are deeply embedded in religious festivals, notably they are performed during the spring festival Chaitra Parva. Chhau […]
The art and tradition of the eastern coastal state Odisha is sophisticated and auspicious. The rich culture of Odisha is the blessing of the Lord of the universe, Lord Jagannath. One of such cultural practices of Odisha is Odissi dance. Also known as Orissi in older literature, Odissi is a […]
Odisha has many renowned dance forms, like Odissi, Gotipua, Chhau, Ghumura and many more. Of them, Gotipua dance is one of the most peculiar dance forms still practised today. The worldwide acknowledged dance form of Gotipua originated in the cultural hub of Odisha, Puri. History says that the dance form […]
Settled between a region of thickly forested slopes, profound canyons and mesmerising streams, dwell the Dongria Kondh clan. They get their name from Dongar, signifying ‘hill’ and the name for themselves is Jharnia: defender of streams. The main livelihood of the tribe is to cultivate the slopes of the fertile […]
Saura art is a tribal artform that has its origins in the religious practices of the Saura tribe of Odisha. Traditional saura art is painted painly on mud walls using natural colours and consists of stick figures similar but distinct from Worli art of Maharashtra. Who are Sauras? The Sauras […]
Perfect lines of houses, their dividers enhanced with canvases, will welcome you when you enter verdant Raghurajpur town, about 10km from Puri, the well-known pioneer and sea shore town of Odisha. Indeed, even without asking, you will acknowledge you have entered a craftsmen’s town where homes bend over as workshops. […]
For long as we remember, warfare has been a part of every civilization. From the earliest stone weapons to the modern guns and bombs, the idea has been to kill the opponent without dying yourself. Odisha is not an exception, and our civilization had also devised tools of killing for […]
Odisha is a subtropical state. That means summers can get quite hot and uncomfortable. As mercury rises up, people seem to turn to air coolers and ACs to find relief from the heat. To alleviate dehydration on the other hand, people in Odisha have taken to traditional drinks that cool […]