The Inevitability of Jagannath Cult in the Culture of Odisha and Its Impact on the Tradition of Odishi

Since time immemorial, the elegant tradition of Odishi has been a vital part of the cult of Shree Jagannath. Odishi dance, performed in accompaniment with Odishi music, traces back its sources to the Mahari tradition, performed in the temple of Lord Jagannath and later refurbished as the philosophy of the Devadasis and the Gotipua art. Odishi music, that projects an innate intimacy between the poetical theme and the musical domain, was originally the brain behind the Maharis and the Gotipuas. Odishi dance form of today is largely a reconstruction of the Mahari and the Gotipua styles, both of which retain their identities in the same. Apart from that, the entire process nds its connect with Lord Jagannath and the same is evident from the carvings of Odishi dancers on ancient temples. Both the Odishi and the Jagannath culture are symbiotic in relationship, bolstering each other in many ways.