The Samikhsya Bureau
BHUBANESWAR: Dimirisena, the famed village known as the cradle of the centuries old Gotipua dance tradition of Odisha, would be developed as a with launch of annual Gotipua dance festival in the village.
Odisha’s Minister for Tourism and Culture Jyoti Prakash Panigrahi assured this while addressing the inaugural ceremony of Dimirisena Dance and Music Festival in the village in Puri district on Monday.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik is keen to develop the entire Puri region as a favourite destination for pilgrims and cultural heritage lovers and Dimirisena would be a part of this project, the Minister maintained.
The three-day festival is being hosted by Chandrasekhar Gotipua Kalasansad, the oldest institute of its kind, that was established in memory of late Chandrasekhar Patnaik, the zamindar and legendary scholar who belonged to the village.
The Balunkeswar temple, the only temple to have the services of the Gotipuas as the temple tradition, was established by the forefathers of Chandrasekhar.
Addressing the occasion, Sanjay Das Burma, local legislator and Deputy Chairperson of the State Planning Board, highlighted the glory of the village that is linked to the temple, the scholar-zamindar and the Gotipua dance tradition.
“Through this festival, we wish to highlight the legacy of our village. We wish artistes and art lovers to come to our village to discover its heritage and culture,” Satyapira Palai, Secretary of the host organization – Chandrasekhar Gotipua Kalasansad explained.
The inaugural evening of the festival featured Gotipua dance by Bhubaneswar-based Naxatra Gurukul of its founder-director Bijay Kumar Sahoo; Mardal recital by Jagannath Kuanr, faculty of Utkal University of Culture; Odissi vocal recital by Mohapatra Minati Bhanja from Bhubaneswar; solo Odissi recital by Pravat Kumar Swain from Bhubaneswar and group Odissi presentation by well-known dancing couple Manoranjan and Minati Pradhan with their disciples from Bhubaneswar.
