Odissi (Odia: ଓଡ଼ିଶୀ Oḍiśī), also referred to as Orissi in older literature, is a major ancient Indian classical dance that originated in the Hindu temples of Odisha – an eastern coastal state of India .
Repertoire
Mangalacharana is performed followed by offering of flowers called Pushpanjali and salutation to mother earth referred as Bhumi Pranam.
Battu Nrutya is pure dance dedicated to Lord Shiva.
Pallavi is a pure dance item in which a raga is elaborated through eye movements, body postures and intricate footwork.
Abhinaya is an expressional dance, which is an enactment of a song or poetry, where a story is conveyed to the audience through mudras, bhavas, eye movements and body movements. An Odissi performance is concluded with the dance movement referred as Moksha that aims to communicate a feeling of emancipation of the soul.
History & Evolution:The antiquity of this dance form is evident from its roots that trace back to the ancient Sanskrit Hindu text called ‘Natya Shastra’ which deals with different performing arts. All the 108 fundamental dance units elucidated in ‘Natya Shastra’ are similar to this art form.
Traces of the Performance Art from the Medieval Era:Inscriptions and carvings of dances dating back to the 6th to 9th century CE are found from Odisha’s Hindu, Buddhist and Jaina archaeological sites especially from the Assia hill range. Some such sites are temples and caves at Alatgiri, Ratnagiri and Lalitgiri and the Ranigumpha in Udayagiri.
Decline During the Mughal Era:The attacks inflicted by Muslim armies in the temples and monasteries of Odisha and other institutions in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent post 12th century not only saw plunder of these ancient sites but these raids also negatively affected the development of all arts forms and freedom of artists. The art forms declined during such period.
Expansion in 17th Century :According to Alexandra Carter, Odissi presumably developed further in the 17th century under the patronage of King Ramachandradeva. Athletics and Akhanda (martial arts) were included and boys or youths were trained in this dance form, which traditionally was performed by women. This development led the boys and youths of Odissi called Gotipuas get an opportunity to train since early age and prepare for military to combat foreign invasions.
Decline during British Rule:The 18th century saw emergence of rule of colonial followed by the establishment of British colonial rule in the 19th century. Such developments saw decline of various classical dance forms which were subjected to contemptuous fun and discouragement including Odissi.