Animal Mask Dances are prevalent in village of south Orissa specially in the district of Ganjam. Particularly during Thankurani Yatra, when the idols are taken out on the streets, the animal mask dancers go on dancing before the procession. During the marriage ceremonies also they lead the bridegroom's procession all the way to the bride's house. The three animal mask dances typical of the area are the tiger, bull and horse dances. Two persons get into cane frame and conceal themselves within it. Their legs become the legs of the animals they are representing.

Changu is rural variety of the tambourine. It is played by the male-members of the Bhuiyan, Bathudi, Kharia, Juang, Mechi and Kondha communities of Sundergarh, keonjhar, Mayurbhanj and Phulbani. The dance in accompaniment to the Changu is performed by women alone. The men only sing songs, play on the Changu and move with the female dancers with simple steps. While the women advance they recede back and on their advance the females retreat. In between, the male dancers perform vigorous stunts in which they leap into the air and make wide circling movements. Peculiarly enough the women cover up their persons with long local made Saris. Only their bangled hands and feet remain visible. In a group the female dancers dance in a half-sitting position with swaying and sometimes jerky movements. During festivals and on any moon-lit night the young boys and girls assemble and dance to express their joy in living.

Chaitighoda Nacha (Horse dance in the month of Chitra): This folk items is connected with the Sakti cult of coastal Orissa confined to the people of Kaibarta caste only. This festival is observed by the Kaibartas in the month of Chaitra from the fool moon day to eight day of Vaisakha in honour of their caste deity Vasuli devi. A horse ridden man with the head of a horse well-dressed and trunk built of bamboo, dances to the tune of Dhola and Mahuri accompanied by songs composed by the local poets. The dancing party consists of two dancers, one male and one female, a drumer and a piper. The Kaibarta song of Achutananda Das, (one of the poets of Pancha Sakha group flourished in the sixteenth century) is believed to be only religious text of the Kaibartas. The origin of this dance goes back to the hoary past. The Goddess Vasuli is held very high among the Kaibartas. Here it may be mentioned that the Goddess has a wide distribution in Orissa, but is considered to be the oldest in Puri where Raja of Puri provided land grants for regular worship of the deity. Vasuli in many places is taken to be one of the manifestations of the Durga and one of sixty-four Yoginis. The horse dance is very popular and attracts a large audience. The performing group consists of three main characters- Rauta, Rautani and the Horse dancer, besides the drummer and the piper. The songs recited in the performace consists of the episode from mythology. Rautani is Rauta's Co-dancer and Co-singer.

Chhau is an ancient dance form. It originated in the mock fights of the Oriya paikas (warriors) who fought rhythmically to the accompaniment of indigenous music instruments The highly Stylised Chhau dance of today follow the basic principle of the Natya Shastra of Bharat Muni and the Abhinaya Darpana of Nandikeswara.
The Chhau dance is indigenous to the eastern part of India. It originated as a martial art and contains vigourous movements and leaps. During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, many of the princely rulers of the Orissa region took a keen interest in the development of this art. They maintained troupes that performed on special occasions and festivals.
Some Chhau dances use large stylized masks. The depiction of birds and animals is a distinctive feature. There are also heroic dances with sword, bow or shield, with which dancers demonstrate their dexterity. In keeping with the martial origins of Chhau, some of the themes include the depiction of mythological heroes, such as Parashurama, Mahadev, Indrajit and others, from the Mahabharata and Ramayana epics. Over the course of time, female characters and more diverse themes were added.

Though Dusserah is the occasion of Dalkhai the most popular folk-dance of western Orissa, its performance is very common on all other festivals such as Bhaijauntia, Phangun Puni, Nuakhai etc. This is mostly danced by young women of Binjhal, Kuda, Mirdha, Sama and some other tribes of Sambalpur, Bolangir, Sundargarh and Dhenkanal districts of Orissa in which men join them as drummers and musicians. The dance is accompanied by a rich orchestra of folk music played by a number of instruments known as Dhol, Nisan (a typically giant sized drum made of iron case), Tamki (a tiny one sided drum 6" in diameter played by two sticks), Tasa (a one sided drum) and Mahuri. However, the Dhol player controls the tempo while dancing in front of the girls. It is known as Dalkhai because in the beginning and end of every stanza the word is used as an address to a girl friend. The love story of Radha and Krishna, the episodes from Ramayana and Mahabaharata, the description of natural scenery are represented through the songs. The young women dance and sing intermittently. The songs are of special variety with the additive 'Dalkhai Bo' which is an address to a girl-friend. While dancing to the uncanny rhythms of the Dhol, they place the legs close together and bend the knees. In another movement they move forward and backward in a half-sitting position. Sometimes they make concentric circles clock-wise and anti-clock-wise. The women generally dress themselves with the colourful Sambalpuri Sari and wear a scarf on the shoulders holding the ends below in both the hands. Bedecked with traditional jewellary their robust framers sustain the strains of the dance for long hours. The Dalkhai dance has several adjunctive forms known as Mayalajada, Rasarkeli, Gunji kuta, Jamudali, Banki, Jhulki, Sainladi etc. On account of its style,theme and performance Dalkhai is basically a secular form.

Danda Nata of Orissa, also known as the 'Danda Jatra' , it happens to be one amongst the most ancient form of histrionic arts of the state. Associated with ritualistic services, Danda Nata forms an institution of dance, music and dramatics blended with religions, social reformation and an association of Universal Brotherhood.Mainly an worship of Lord Shiva, the God of destruction of the Hindu mythology, who is also the Lord of histrionic arts (Nata Raj), this theatrical form brings into its fold a harmonious feeling of co-existence between followers of different philosophical doctrines, between political principles and set of opinions.Along with votive dedications to Lord Shiva ( Rudra, Hara, Mahadeva, Shankar, Bholanath etc ) in a Danda Nata, the greatness of other Gods and Goddesses such as Vishnu, Krishna Ganesh, Durga, Kali etc. are also equally invoked.Similarly while the original participants in a Danda Nata were said to be only the low-caste Hindus people, however people belonging to all other higher castes such as Kshyatriyas and Brahmins also participate in this institution with equal interest.

The Jatra, Pala and Daskathia represent important aspects of Orissan folk culture form an integral part of the lives of the rural folk. Today television s these programmes, thus making the city people conversant with these folk art forms. Jatra, corresponds to folk theatre. It is the enactment of a play with a cast and comprises music, dance, acting, singing and dramatic conflict.

Jatra : Jatra corresponds to folk theatre. It is the enactment of a play with a cast and comprises music, dance, acting, singing and dramatic conflict. Earlier, religious values were communicated to the masses through the powerful medium of Jatra. Today, the style of writing plays for jatras has undergone changes. Jatra plays now no longer limited to the mythological, historical or fantastical subjects include social themes to suit modern taste. Jatra is performed on a simple stage with the spectators surrounding it on all sides.   The chorus  and the musicians take their position off stage. There no stage properties except a single seat meant to serve various functions, as a throne, a bed or a way-side bench.
The actors move in a very theatrical manner. They deliver their speeches in high-sounding .words and have to be loud enough to catch the attention of the spectators seated on all sides. Consequently they adopt an exaggerated style are heavily made up. Their costumes glitter, their swords flash and their words thunder to the accompaniment of the crashing cymbals. Sometimes the actors are able to depict subtle emotional moods like, love, sorrow, pathos, but the element of exaggeration is always present as they have to project themselves as larger than life figures.  Jatra becomes a great source of entertainment because of its tuneful traditional music with simple melodic lines, dance sequences, songs, action and humour. Taken as a whole, the jatra of Orissa has always remained essentially an institution of learning for the people in general.

Pala : The Pala is a long musical narrative punctuated with explanations, rendered By a singer (gayaka) accompanied by a band of lour to five persons, one cymbals plays on a drum (mridanga) and the others playing musical instruments like cymbals.  The pala singer describes episodes from the Mahabharata, Ramayana or other Puranic Texts.  The musicians who accompany him join at appropriate moments in a chorus Or semblance of rudimentary dialogue. The tale is interspersed with loud music of drums and cymbals. The singer and his accompanists dance using very simple rythmic stepping as they sing.
The Pala singer begins by invoking the blessings of a deity, usually Sarala, the muse of poetry, and briefly states the theme of his song. As he continues his performance another singer asks him questions or requests him to elucidate a point. This  the  pala  singer  does  with  great elan: Generally,  the pala  songs  are Taken from the rich repertoire of Oriya poetry and literature with appropriate references To relevant Sanskrit poetry. The pala singer not only sings out the narrative song. But has to be highly innovative to establish rapport with his audience. He is dressed In glittering robes  and wears  an ornate headgear. He holds a  chamara (whisk)   in his hand,  which    he  wields  with   extreme  flourish,     now  as   a  weapon,   now  as    a fan, and now as a pen according to the needs of his song and waves it as a of divine blessing. Thus he has to combine drama, song and dance and as a narrator, detached from the main events of his dramatic song.

Daskathia: The Daskathia is also a very interesting folk art form in Orissa. It is performed usually by two men, the singer and his assistant and is simpler than a Pala. The Daskathia singer gives an exposition of a narrative poem of mythological or religious intent. The performance owes its name to Daskathia (a musical instrument which is made of two small pieces of thick wood). The singers hold these instruments in their left hand with the index finger in between the pieces of wood. With his should he plays  upon  tile two ends  of this instrument  to  produce a   rhythmic sound. Like the Pala Singer he begins with an introduction in which he seeks the blessings of a deity. The entire narrative is interspersed with lines dedicated to the deity. The Daslrathia performance is of a shorter duration than the Pala. There dressed simply and appear as ascetics.

For the whole month of Chaitra the village streets in Orissa reverberate with the sound of Ghanta (brass gong) played by Ghanta Patuas in accompaniment to their peculiar dance on the stilts which is very similar to the Karaga dance of Mysore. In Orissa, it is closely associated with the worship of Mother Goddess who has various names as Sarala, Hingula, Charchika, Bhagavati, Chandi etc. Ghanta patuas are the non-Brahmin Sevaks or servants of the deities. With the blessings of the respective deities attached to the shrines, they set out in two to four in a group. One of them dresses himself as a female with a black colour is tied on the head like a round cap while the flowing two ends are held by him in both the hands separately. He places the Ghata (sacred pitcher) on his head which is profusely decorated with flowers, vermilion, sandlepaste and coloured threads. With the Ghata on the head, he displays a variety of Yogic postures. Then he dances a while with bare-feet with the ropes. Without any support for the hands the dancer displays rare skill, with dance movements. Dhol and Ghanta are the accompanying instruments and their players, while working out uncanny rhythms control the tempo of the dance. After the performance the performers distribute the holy vermilion paste to the villager sand collect money and cereals. Like this they keep on moving for the whole month and return to their respective shrines for their annual celebration on the first day of the Hindu new year, Visuva Sankranti. Such celebrations are marked by small fairs and ornate rituals connected with the worship of Goddesses together with performances of dance and music.

Ghoomra is a typical drum. It is just like a big pitcher with a long stem made of clay. The mouth is covered with the skin of a Godhi (a reptile). When played with both hands, it produces a peculiar sound quite different from other varieties of drums. The dance performed to the accompaniment of this drum is called Ghoomra Nata. It begins fifteen days earlier of Gamha Purnima (full moon in September) and culminates on that night in a ceremonial performance. Young men of various communities fix a Ghoomra each on the chest with string tied the body simultaneouly dance and play. The performance begins will slow circular movements. The Nisan is a smaller variety of Kettle-drum played with two leather-sticks. The player always places himself in the centre and controls the tempo of the dance. He also indicates change over the movements. After a brief dance sequence in different rhythmic patterns all the dancers move in a concentric circle and then stand erect in a line. Then enters the singer who first sings in praise of Saraswati and other gods and godesses. During the song the drums remain silent. After the prayer-song Chhanda, Chaupadi other literary folk-songs are sung. Each couplet of a song is followed by a dance-peace. At the end of the each couplet the singer adds 'Takita Dhe' which is a numonic syllable for the time-beats and indicates the dance to begin.

Gotipua, an Oriya etymon means a single boy. A dance which is performed by a single boy dancer in female costume is known as Gotipua dance. When the dance of the Maharis slowly disintegrated due to various reasons, the class of these boy dancers was started to carry out the tradition & it is largely from them that the present form of Odissi dance has been revived. It is acknowledged that most of the present Odissi gurus were Gotipua dancers in their early days.
Though it is not known how & when these boy dancers came in, it is certain that they did not appear till 17th century A.D. as we don't find any record or reference to this dance in form. The Gotipua dance appears to have originated in the reign of Prataprudradeva (A.D.1497-1540) and gained popularity in the subsequent Muslim period on account of the rigidity of the Purdah system which led to the seclusion of women and made their presence scarce on the festive occasions. But this contention does not seem sound as the reign of Prataprudradeva saw the reorientation of Devdassi-dancing in the temple of lord Jagannath. Some are of opinion that Ramananda Ray, the Vaishnavite minister of Prataprudradeva is the originator of this class of boy dancers. This contention also appears acceptable as there are elaborate description in religious texts about the activities of Ramananda in the field of dance, drama & music and that the devadassis of the temple of Jagannath alone remained his disciples. There is no evidence whatsoever of Ramananda having introduced boy dancers in the temple in place of women. The Gotipua dancers are never allowed to dance inside the temple. Only on some festive occasions they are specially allowed to perform in the temple precincts.
A Gotipua party consists of four or five members and the guru always remains in charge of it. The guru also sings & plays on the harmonium. Other members are two accompanists i.e., a madala player & a ginni player, and one or two boy dancers. The dance of the Gotipuas is in Odissi style, but their technique, costume & all presentations differ from that of Maharis. The songs are generally compositions of Vaisnava poets of Orissa on the alliance of Radha & Krishna.

This dance type named after the accompanying Jhoomar songs is prevalent among the Mahanta and Munda communities of the Sundargarh district. Among the Mahantas the dance is performed by the men only. Among the Mundas the singers who accompany the dancers sing songs and the dancers follow them in chorus in accompaniment of Madal. The Mundas are especially experts in this dance particularly in intricate foot steps, movement of hip and wrists and movement of body.

Karam or Karma literally means 'fate'. This pastoral dance is performed during the worship of the God or Goddess of fate (Karam Devta or Karamsani Devi), whom the people consider the cause of good and bad fortune. It begins from Bhadra Shukla Ekadasi (eleventh day of the brightmoon of the month of Bhadra) and lasts for several days. This is popular among the scheduled class tribes (e.g., the Binjhal, Kharia, Kisan and Kol tribes) in the districts of Mayurbhanj, Sundargarh, Sambalpur and Dhenkanal. In Dhenkanal and Sambalpur the dance is in honour of Karamsani, the deity who bestows children and good crops.
However, the rituals connected with the dance remain the same everywhere. In the afternoon of the auspicious day two young unmarried girls cut and bring two branches of the 'Karam' tree from a nearby jungle. They are accompanied by drummers and musicians. The two branches are then ceremonially planted on the altar of worship and symbolise the God. Germinated grains, grass flowers and country liquor are offered to the deity. After completing the ritual the village-priest tells the story or legend connected with it. This is followed by singing and dancing in accompaniment of drum (madal), cymbal etc. The dance performance full of vigour and energy combined with charm of the youth decked with colourful costumes in exuberance of red cloth, set in peacock feathers skillfully designed ornaments made of small conch shells, brings the onlookers as well as the performers to a mood of trance and ecstasy. In this dance both men and women take part and continue to engross themselves for the whole night. The skillful movement of the young boys with mirror in hand indicates the traditional pattern of love-making in course of dancing and singing. The dance is performed sometimes by boys in group, sometimes by girls in group and sometimes both the sexes together. The subject matter of songs constitutes the description of nature, invocation to Karmasani, desires, aspiration of people, love and humour. The Karam dance continues from dusk to dawn. Group after group drawn from nearby villages dance alternately throughout the night. In the early morning they carry the Karam branches singing and dancing and then immerse them ceremonially in a river or tank and then disperse. The technique of the Karma dance varies a little from tribe to tribe. The Kharias, Kisans and Oraons dance in a circular pattern, where men and women dance together. It is always headed by a leader and generally the men at the head of the line. Only the best of dancers join in right next to or near him. Very young girls and children join in at the tail end to learn the steps. When the dancing grows fast the dancers of the tail end drop out to let the true dancers show their skill. The dancers hold hands in different ways in different dances. Sometimes they simply hold hands and sometimes hands are placed on the neighbor's waist band or are crossed. It is the legs and the feet which play the principal part in the dance. The dance begins lightly with simple steps forward and backward, left and right, then gradually the steps grow smaller and faster, growing more and more complicated, until that dance reaches its height. Then it goes gradually to the first steps as the music leads to give dancers rest. The dancers have no special costume for the occasion. They dance with their usual attires which they wear daily. The dance is usually held in the courtyard of a village where performance is arranged. In the center of the courtyard a bamboo is fixed and it is split into four upto a certain height and then bent to form the arches. Each split is fixed with a pole on the outerside to form the earch. Then it is decorated with festoons of mango leaves and water lilies giving it a festive look. The ground is neatly plastered with cow-dung. Men and women dance winding in an out beneath the arches.

The Kelas are a nomadic class of people in Orissa. Except for a few months in the year they mostly remain out of their homes. Originally they are snake-charmers and bird-catchers who roam about the countryside to earn their livelihood. Besides, they also display tight-rope walking and other varieties of gymnastic events along with dance and songs. In the dance only two persons take part, a Kela and Keluni (a female of the tribe). The Kela plays a peculiar string instrument Ghuduki which produces a peculiar sound. He works out rhythms by playing his fingers in strokes on a string. He dances with the Keluni and also sings. The dance of the Keluni is fast with swaying movements of legs, hips and the head. There are also exalted action in half-sitting position. Generally it is she who carries the show. The songs are of a special variety and are popularly known as Kela-Keluni Geeta in which love and humour predominate. This dance is fast dying out. But it is being adopted by professional Yatra troupes and other groups of entertainers.

Limb linking service of the Lord Jagannath, Who is very much fanned of music And song is the action and pride of ‘Mahari’ tradi;tion. What is today words and dialogue  had made tomorrow   living to the culture of the nations at the   touch of Bashachandan’. Mahari Tradition of the  Sri Mandira is the beautiful Parijata  flower of art an history of Utkal. It also  makes living by its fragrance and the touch of nationl. It has been doing so far from the time immoral. It has  made the art of Utkala  glorious Mahari tradition is the same and one union  of Lord Jagannath  and  great Nari Mahari.  Mahari Dance  coming from  the Nata temple of the temple has reached and extended to the stage and  shastriya  Odissi  dance art. Now a days common man having seen the round eye  of Lord Jagannath l has become wholeness of Karatali under this  remains purity action  whollyness of Mahari. It is a  prensial emotion of life and heart and sloving. Amongst  all who made this mahari dance living  and has  given to the people in general for publicity and its pride Guru Pankaja  Charana Das  comes to the foremast  rank. L He has made the dream ‘fruitful’ . This  Mahari awarded is  opened for all    who take it as a tradi;tion witrh whole heartedness. Now  Odissi has climbed the pick lof culture everelst of the world  but  the  proponents of this art , that is the  Mahari are numbered  and along with them will go this age old tradition of Orissa. We all specially the  Oriyas should not forget the  contributions  made by  this great lordies,.  We  have  introduced this awarded in memory  of the Mahari  and  with a view to bring up more and more oriya girls as dancers in the national and  international level. This awarded certainly  will help them to promote this rich  heritage. It will act as an impetus and help them to dedicate their lives to promote, prolduct and preserve the traditional style, originality and classical future of Odissi dance.

The dancer has a heroic feature and wears a special dress. He dances with a heavy load of weapons to the sound of the battle drums. He has ten main requirements, Viz. 1) A shield of the hide of the rhinoceros, 2) a sword, 3) a Kukri, 4) a gun, 5) a horn used as a whistle, 6) an iron shield, 7) a toilet box, 8) bow and arrows, 9) tiger skin, and 10) a bell. His bow bears the face of  a tiger and looks awesome. He possesses a long crown with a big flower at he end decorated with glittering peacock feathers. He has a string of beads on the neck, feathers of 'ara' ( a bird with brown feathers found in lake Chilka) on his arms, a mirror and a string of beads on his wrist, flags on the arrows, handkerchief tied to the hands, a small bell attached to the thigh. He smears his body with 'rama raja' ( a powder of yellow colour) to save himself from the scorching heat of summer. He decorates his forehead with vermilion. He wears an artificial beard and moustache. Dressed up he looks very ferocious. This dance is not accompanied by any song.

Odissi Dance : Odissi dance is the typical classical dance form of Orissa and has its origin in the temples. The rhythm, the bhangis and mudras used in Odissi dance have a distinctive quality of their own. Odissi dance deals largely with the love theme of Radha and Krishna. It is a lyrical form of dance with its subtelety as its keynote.

Puppets dance known as Kandhei or Sakhi Nata, a rare and unusual type of stylised indigenous drama and dance based on mythological stories, is being performed today in various parts of Orissa. The puppets are usually the representations of various characters and animals of a particular drama. It is difficult to speak anything about its origin but undoubtedly is an old art. The making of dolls with paintings, dresses and ornaments is a typical folk art for the enjoyment of people of all categories. Together with puppets there evolved another art popularly known as the expressive shadow plays which has the added advantage of being able to cater to large audiences. The puppetry of Orissa may be classified into three categories, such as hand puppets, string puppets and rod puppets.

The systematised and developed form of music, which has been sung in the world famous temple of the Lord Jagannath (also spelt as Jagannatha) at the sacred 'Puri-Dhama' in its different festive occasions as a part of the temple services, and cultured in the 'Jaga-Akhadas' of Puri and 16 'Sasanas', 36 'Karavada' (Brahmin villages) as well as other rural areas in the district, is known as Traditional Odissi Music.
This tradition is also having a long and glorious history of its own for more then 2,500 years. It is performed deftly in the shape of "Raga-Ksydrageeta-Prabandha-Gana", a form of Indian classical music by the illustrious and celebrated poet Sri Jayadeva in Orissa.
Like Hindustani and Carnatic systems, Odissi music is a separate system of Indian classical music and is having all the essential as well as potential ingredients of Indian Classical form. But it has not come to limelight due to apathy from the time of British rule in Orissa, want of its proper study, revival, propagation, etc. Despite the fact, the traditional music form could be saved and maintained in its pristine form. Thanks to the musicians particularly of Jaga Akhadas of Puri district, who could develop and maintain the music.

Like other aspects of her culture, music of the sacred land of Orissa is charming, colourful, variegated encompassing various types of tunes. The existing musical tradition of Orissa, the cumulative experience of the last two thousand five hundred years if not more, can broadly be grouped under five categories:

Tribal Music: The tribal music as the title signifies is confined to the tribals living mainly in the hilly and jungle regions and sparsely in the coastal belt of Orissa. It is interesting to note that Orissa has the third largest concentration of tribes constituting about 1 ¼ of the total population. They are distributed over 62 tribal communities.

Folk Music: Orissa is the treasure house of Folk Songs, which are sung on different festivals and specific occasions in their own enjoyment. Folk music in general is the expression of the ethos and mores of the folk communities. Of the bewildering variety of folk music of Orissa, mention may be made of 'Geeta', 'Balipuja Geeta', 'Kela Keluni Geeta', 'Dalkhai Geeta', 'Kendra Geeta', 'Jaiphula Geeta', 'Ghumura Geeta', 'Ghoda Nacha' and 'Danda Nacha Geeta', 'Gopal Ugala' and 'Osa-Parva-Geeta' etc.

Light Music: The light music category of Orissa include 'Sri Geetagovinda', 'Anirjukta Pravadha', 'Divya Manusi Prabandha', 'Chautisa', 'Chhanda', 'Chaupadi' (now known as 'Odissi'), 'Champu', 'Malasri', 'Sariman', 'Vyanjani, and Chaturang.

Light-Classical Music: 'Bhajan', 'Janan', Oriya songs based on ragas, 'Rangila Chaupadi' etc are grouped under Light classical music, which forms an important segment of Orissan music.

The present form of traditional Odissi music is no doubt the outcome of the continuous evolution of the earliest Indian classical music. Orissa could imbibe all the waves of classical music beginning from 'Sama-Gana' to Raga 'Prabandha Gana', but finally it assumed the present form of "Ragaksyudra-Geeta-Pravandha-Gana". This system is popularly styled as traditional Odissi music.
 Since, there is the dearth of recorded evidence to prove the exact time of the advent of the earliest form of the Indian Classical Music into this land, one may reasonably believe its inflow during the period of Aryanisation of this land. Possibly Aryan culture crept into this land during the Age of Brahmans when bulk of Indian peninsula came under the Aryan influence.

The Sovaneswara inscription and the Brahmeswara inscription and also the inscription from Madhukeswar temple reveal that dance and music was introduced in the temples as a part of daily rituals. Music tinged with religion, attained mass appeal and royal patronage. As such the royal patronization of Art and Culture made the Orissan music so developed and enchanting for enjoyment of both Gods and Goddesses and human beings as well. This tradition is still continuous in its different manifestations.

The Odissi 'Sangeeta' (music) was composed following the styles ('Riti') of four classes of music such as 'Dhrubapada', 'Chitrapada', 'Chitrakala' and 'Panchali':

Dhrupada: The Dhrupada or "Ghosha" meaning the first line or lines to be cited repeatedly has importance in Odissi music.

Panchali: Panchali means multi-lined lyric ('Bahupadayukta Gita'). It is divided into two types - 'Adhruva' and 'Sadhruva'. In 'Sadhruva Panchali' there is a Ghosha (The first line or lines to be cited repeatedly). Odissi 'Choupadis' (Quadrants) are the best examples of Sadhruva Panchali. 'Choutisha' belongs to the category of Adhruva Panchali.

According to tuning the "Melaragas" were composed and their names are completely different from the Ragas of "Hindustani" and "Carnatac" music. The centres for physical education and music were called "Jagas".
In all the festivals the members of a "Jaga" arrange feasts. "Hazura", the chief member of the "Jaga" arranges the competitions of gymnasiums ('Kushti Pratiyogita') and Music concert ('Sangeet Asara'). Among the singers one group was meant for singing in high pitch and the other group in low pitch.