INSIDE a dimly-lit hut, Gadadhar Rana vigorously spins his manual potter’s wheel amidst stacks of hay. With his hands soaked in wet clay, he deftly shapes a large lamp that he immediately removes from the wheel using a thread and keeps aside. In about 30 minutes, he creates 15 such…
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…
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…
Tribals are an important part of Rath Yatra in districts like Kalahandi, Keonjhar and Koraput while, different traditions mark the festivities at Balasore and Sambalpur RATH Yatra has many shades in Odisha. Although the celebration at Puri is famous worldwide, the nine-day festival elsewhere in the State is an equally…
Adi Dhun is Odisha’s first folk band that aims to revive and promote the dying traditional music culture of Western Odisha ANCIENT and connected with nature, the folk music tradition of Western Odisha is unique in more ways than one. Gifted folk musicians from across the region, many of who…
Travellers visit Cuttack for two reasons – its silver filigree and the famed Durga Puja. In the Millennium City, the spirit of Durga Puja thrives in pandals where the essence of celebration is not just about the camaraderie but also the festive flavours. Each of the 160 pandals dish out…
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…