Saahi Jaata of Puri, Odisha

Saahi means locality. Jaata means Yatra or Festival. Saahi Jaata (ସାହି ଯାତ) is believed to have begun in 12th/13th century in Puri, Odisha. 'Durga Medha' (ଦୁର୍ଗା ମେଢ) was shown in the Lokanritya and Lokabadya Utsav [State Level Folk Dances and Music Festival] held on 25 Feb, 2015 at Bhanja Kala Mandap, Bhubaneswar. During Dussehra Festival, dance on this theme is generally done in Saahi Jaata- the Raam Lila of Odisha.

Watch how Goddess Durga charms all by dominating the stage! She dances wearing heavy mask and costume of many kgs, to the tune of beating drums, local trumpet, shouts and shower of flowers on-stage!

Lokanritya and Lokabadya Utsav, Bhubaneswar

Rajya-Stariya Lokanritya and Lokabadya Utsav [State Level Folk Dances and Music Festival] was held on 25 and 26 February, 2015 at Bhanja Kala Mandap, Bhubaneswar. After organising the recently concluded and most wonderful events like the Luptapraya Loka Kala Utsav [Festival showcasing Dying Regional Arts] and the Sankirtan Mahotsav, kudos to Odisha Sangeet Natak Academy and Department of Culture, Govt. of Odisha for organising another brilliant festival showcasing Odisha's vibrant culture!

#Odisha Loka Nritya & Loka Badya Utsav will start soon @ BhanjaKalaMandap #Bhubaneswar.Com & join fast! #ttot #travel pic.twitter.com/zb65TMXEur
— Amrita Sabat (@rocking_amsa) February 25, 2015

 

About Lokanritya and Lokabadya Utsav:

Dhunkel- Rare Musical Instrument from Western Odisha, India

'Dhunkel' musical instrument is also known as 'Dhanakoila'. It makes a continuous beating sound, with accompanying vocals praising the Lord. Things used for making of Dhunkel are Dhanu (Bow) and Kula (domestic utensil to winnow grain made of bamboo), covered over an earthern pot and a Dhunkel stick is used to beat it to produce a unique beating sound. This instrument is used in eastern, western, Southern Odisha. Watch this rare musical instrument being played:

Bhalubansi- rare musical instrument from Western Odisha, India

Bhalubansi, is an ancient wind instrument (Susira Badya) from Western Odisha. It was one among many rare and dying musical instruments played at recently concluded Luptapraya Loka Kala Utsav [Festival showcasing Dying Regional Arts]. Not just Bhalubansi, but Brahmabeena and Dhunkel were also played as part of same performance.

2de 6:30 pm BhanjaKalaMandap #Bhubaneswar 3 rare #Odisha instrumnts 2 b played: bhalubansi,dhunkel,brahmabeena! #ttot pic.twitter.com/KNu9v6On9i
— Amrita Sabat (@rocking_amsa) February 19, 2015

About Luptapraya Loka Kala Utsav:

Kendara Badya, rare musical instrument from Jagatsinghpur district, Odisha

Kendara Badya, is a rare stringed musical instrument from Jagatsinghpur district, Odisha. It was one among many rare and dying musical instruments played at recently concluded Luptapraya Loka Kala Utsav [Festival showcasing Dying Regional Arts].

'Music Tree': Innovative concept having 32 rare instruments on it

About the Luptapraya Loka Kala Utsav:

Dhabaleswar Temple at Dhauligiri, Bhubaneswar, Odisha

Happy Mahashivratri to all! Today is the festival of Shiva, one among the Trinity of Lords in Hindu religion. As per mythology, Shiva married Parvati today. So, it is considered most auspicious. People keep fast and pray all through the night invoking Lord Shiva.

In Hinduism there are 33 crore Gods and Goddesses, but the Trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Maheshwara (Shiva) are the chief among them, apart from Shakti or Goddess who is considered most powerful.

In one of the G+ messages I read today, this intriguing fact was refreshed in my mind: The Lords who drank Amrit or nectar became 'Dev' (Lord) while the one who drank poison became 'Devon ke Dev' (Lord of Lords) or 'Mahadev' (Great Lord) ,that is, Shiva.

International Sand Art Festival, Chandrabhaga Beach, Konark, Odisha

The Konark Sun Temple is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is situated about 70 km away from Odisha's sprawling and beautiful capital, 'Temple City' Bhubaneswar. Every winter, around the first week of December, Odisha Tourism organises two conjoined events of great importance in Konark, namely The International Sand Art Festival at Chandrabhaga Beach of Konark and The Konark Dance Festival with the splendid 13th Century Konark Temple as the backdrop of divine Indian classical dance performances.

I had the great fortune of attending the 2012 edition of both these events at Konark which were held from December 1st to 5th. I went on only a single day (2nd December) yet was able to fully immerse myself in the grandeur of these events such that it has remained etched in my mind ever since. This post is dedicated to reliving my International Sand Art Festival experience, and I'll present my Konark Dance Festival experience in an exclusive post, which it rightfully deserves.

I've preserved the fab invite too!

 

An invite to mesmerise the depths of your soul!

Internationally-renowned sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik, recently awarded with Padma Shri, has been the Brand Ambassador of this major festival- a congregation of sand artists from around the world. Around 30 sand artists from Japan, France, Korea, Germany, Norway and of course India had put up their exquisite sand arts in a row that day. I was actually dumb-struck as I was seeing sand-art in front of my eyes, LIVE, for the first time in my life! A less-known fact (quoting from the invite) is that: prevalence of sand sculpture in Odisha dates back to the 14th Century. No wonder, the golden sands of Odisha's pristine 450 km coastline surely provide the perfect canvas to build the most breath-taking sand-arts in the world!