In the age of modernity, puja committees elsewhere in the country are experimenting with the look and theme of Maa Durga, but those in Cuttack and Bhubaneswar have their trust ingrained in the time-honoured traditions. One such tradition lies with the divine face of the Goddess, which has remained unchanged…
Paika Nrutya is an integral part of Durga Puja celebration in villages of Khurda district DUSSEHRA is unique to Khurda in more ways than one. The autumn festival not only breathes in a new lease of life into the dying Paika Akhadas in the district, it also unites both Hindus…
Royal families of Odisha continue to celebrate Durga Puja with complete adherence to its unique rituals IN a red saree and decked up in golden ornaments, Goddess Kanak Durga looks resplendent in the illuminated temple on the premises of recently renovated Nilagiri Palace. Every autumn, the palace that was constructed…
Considered a great centre of Shaivism, Bhubaneswar is also home to several Shakti shrines. In fact, the earliest form of Shakti worship in Odisha in the form of Stambhesvari is there at Bhubaneswar’s Bhuasuni temple. According to ancient scriptures, it was during the Bhauma period that Shaktism first made its…
HIS century-old house at Khurda town is a link between the past and the present as far as freedom struggle in Odisha is concerned. The precariously placed artefacts in the house are windows to 200 years of history when Paikas from Khurda fought the ‘First War of Independence’. Gopal Krushna…
This Independence Day, take a walk through Cuttack’s winding lanes housing historical monuments and museums to learn how they influenced the country’s freedom struggle and great minds behind it. Begin the journey at the 160-year-old Swaraj Ashram, located on Kathjodi river front in Sahebzada Bazaar, which was the hub of…
In the verandah of a craft centre in the quaint Raghurajpur village of Odisha, 70-year-old Banamali Mohapatra sits hunched on the floor applying thin strips of colour on a small black circular disc. His fingers do not quiver while drawing the red outline of Lord Vishnu with a fine brush…
From a folk tradition that took roots during the Moghul rule in Odisha, Ganjapa cards have been reduced to a mere collective item for art lovers today. In fact, apart from Pattachitra, these hand painted circular cards are a souvenir item that tourists collect from artists’ village of Raghurajpur and Dandasahi…
At the backyard of his house in Jirala village, Pradeepta Nayak carefully selects delicate rice straw strands, separating the dark brown coloured ones from those having a golden hue. In a small room few metres away, a group of women are creating a massive painting of Lord Krishna playing flute…
Raghurajpur, the first heritage village of Odisha situated on the banks of river Bhargabi, is known worldwide for its Pattachitra. Bylanes of this quaint little village, where every house is a canvas, are also home to another beautiful art form—Gotipua. At the far end of the village, stand two organisations…