Odissi Art

Traditional Art Form

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At this juncture, one can take into consideration the palm leaf scriptures. During 5th century A.D., writing scriptures alongwith drawings on palmleaf was a regular feature. A special unique art form was developed for this purpose. The same artform was then translated to walls of palaces, temples and other local religious institutes. The artistes used natural colours and brushes prepared from keuda leaves. This style continued till 11th century. Several books written in this period give an account of art being practiced through drawings and paintings.

Artistes also experimented with this art form by using different canvasses, in order to make it more portable and transportable. They used cotton cloth as a canvass, which when supported by two rulers at either end can be easily rolled and packed and sent anywhere. They also used wood as a canvass.

In 12th century Ad, a new canvass known as “Pattachitra” was introduced. Researchers link this to the worship rituals adopted at Puri Jagannath temple, which is still very much used and observed. 36 clans of artistes were employed by the King Langula Narasingha Deva on an annual basis for this specific purpose. They used to paint “Raths” for Car festival, Chandan festival, snanmandap etc. all important aspects/ parts of Jagannath worship.

The importance of pattachitra in Jagannath cult is easily observed in the Jatripatti prepared prior to the Great bath festival of the lord. According to rituals observed, The three Lords Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra, fall sick after the festival and are under complete rest. During this period which lasts about a month, sketches of the three lords on pattachitra are kept near their throne and worshipped with all necessary rituals. This just proves the depth of Odissi art form with Jagannath cult worship.

Since the establishment of idols at Puri jagannath temple, this rituals are being followed without any break. One can notice on the walls of several small temples within Puri temple, the remnants of such art. These sketches are considered as one of the most precious relics of Hindu Culture.

“Madala Panji” – a relic of past and future incidents written in 16th century also supports this issue in its writings.

The artistes who belong to “Chitrakar” caste were granted a specific area in Puri, by the king to reside. Alongwith painting the temple walls, they also tried seberal other products in order to earn better livelihood. As time passed, a bigger and larger community moved into outskirts of Puri, such as Raghurajpur and other places, whose prime means of livelihood remained practice of odissi art.

Other than Puri, several other princely states of Kalinga also utilized their services to paint temple and fort walls. These places included Biranchi Narayan temple of Buguda, jagannath temple of Dharakot, Srikalika temple of Jeypore, which just adds up to show the popularity of odissi art.

Researchers normally divide the odissi art into two basic divisions: one is classical and other local. The classical art form mainly dealt with mythology and religion while the more popular local form dealt with day to day activities. This local form again can be divided into locale specific ones.

The artisans of different regions have tried to introduce local features into the art form and have been thereby successful in restoring and sustaining the art form.

The artistic expertise is not only limited to the outward male community. Even family rituals require a lot of art practice by the female members in the form of alpana, tattoos, rangoli etc. these art forms also depict the rich taste and skill level of oriya women.

Any paper on evolution of odissi art form will remain incomplete without the mention of “Idital” the saura tribal art form. Art in Odisha is practiced in villages, tribal hamlets, in each and every occasion involving rituals and symbols. This makes art an important activity of day to day life. The modern art used to beautify the modern drawing rooms carry the impression of several art forms- idital, tikanguda of Kutia kandh tribe, manjigunda of Dongrias,chieta of Santals, chitar of juanga, Pandi bhuyan’s jhanjhara- all tribal local art forms. The depiction of day to day activities of life in these pictures provide a very wide scope of research for historians and sociologists.

Changing forms of Odissi art

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The present civilized art form of Odisha bears the insignia of prehistoric cave art. The overall traditional art form is known as “ODISSI Art”. There have been no research findings to support its origin. Historians though agree that during the rule of Kharavela and his sons of Chedi dynasty, the “ odissi “ art form was born.

The “hathigumpha “ or elephant cave of Udaygiri has sculpted writings in Pali script, about the skill and expertise possessed but the great kalinga king “ Kharavela”, in the fields of style, beauty, calculations, behaviour, rituals etc. So it is easy to deduce him as one of the greatest art connoisseurs in the history of Kalinga. Several proofs of his artistic nature is available when one comes across the paintings done by him on his room tops and walls.

In the “Manchapuri” cave of Khandagiri, one can see the evidence of Jain worship by Kharvela during 100-200 B.C. The next visual sculpted art form available belongs to 14^th century A.D. in the temple walls.

In Keonjhar district of Odisha, one can find sketches drawings belonging to 4^th-5^th AD , at a place called “Ravanachhaya’, a natural hermitage. Two rock formations one above the other, provide a cool and natural resting place. The upper stone covers the bottom stone like an umbrella. The outer portion of the umbrella stone has the sketch painting of a victory procession led by a king. This painting has impression of several colours used, such as, brown, white, crimson, red, yellow etc. the painting depicts a king sitting on an elephant with all necessary arms and ammunitions in both hands. An attendant using a hand made umbrella and fan for the king resides beside him. A victorious army perssonel is leading the procession on a horse. Several foot soldiers are walking in front of him. One can also identify a woman and four men in the gathering. Another woman following the procession is also noticed. One can also observe a lot of flying birds in the painting.

A small writing at the bottom of the painting identifies the king as “Dishabhanja”. This type of art form has several similarities with the drawings of ajanta caves. This sort of Painting seems to be unique in eastern part of the Indian Continent.Recent findings however suggest the influence of jain art on Odissi art form. During 6^th century, the advocates of Jainism used palmleaf paintings to attract people towards Jainism. They used a lot of lines which is reflected in present day palm leaf engravings of Orissa. This is treated as one of the unique traits of Odissi art form.

Prehistorically art Forms

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Several line forms drawn on the caves by the historical man, is considered to be the oldest form of art. Speechless human then used art as a medium to express one’s own self. The scope of this art form was quite narrow, basically consisting of day to day activities, experiences of sorrow and happiness etc. For example, hunting was the main source of food. One can notice “hunting” as the main theme of majority of the sketches. Till today, such drawings can be noticed in Gudahandi, Jogimath, Bikram Khol, ulapgad caves of Orissa. As time passed, the changing life style of Human beings, had its effect in the progress of several art forms- music, dance, acting Etc.

Sculpture and Art

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The sculpture of Odisha are world famous for its exquisite description of human forms, mythology etc. The name “UTKAL”, which means land of excellence in art, seems justified even today, when we see remnants of temples at Konark, Puri and Bhubaneswar.

The culture of Udradesh has its origin in Vedic ages. The tribal art forms sculpted by the locals showcases the popularity of art among citizens of Udradesh. “Art” is considered to be the mother of “Sculpture”. It is a reflection of the social lifestyle. Being religious by nature, most of the craft persons were engaged in sculpting gods and goddesses. Historians opine the perfect example of this is the Ranigumpha of Udaygiri constructed by Mahameghabahab Aira Kharavela, the then emperor of kalinga. So It can be inferred that the age old expertise in the fields of Art and craft has made this state achieve its due world wide acclaim.

The art style of Udradesh, originating from cave paintings today has reached at a better and improvised form, under the guise of different names over the years. The tribal art style of using rice batter to paint the wall of mud huts wiped by cow dung mixture, today adorns the modern household in the form of tribal tsar painting. This art form is considered today as a revised form of village art, a reflection of the core traditional values of the rich cultural heritage of this state.

Evolution Of Odissi Art

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Udra desh (old Odisha) was a part of the larger Kalinga dynasty. It consisted of smaller states like Kangod, toshali, utkal and koshal. The current artistic structure of Odisha is a result of the expertise owned by its craftpersons, over the years. the art and craft of Odisha, then known as Kalinga was among the most prominent ones of that times.

While starting a discussion on the art and craft expertise of Udradesh, its culture and civilization at those times needs to be given due importance as they have a major impact in the evolution of art forms. The way of living of those times is quite evident in both fine and performing arts, which basically included music, dance, art, sculpture, literature, religion etc. Before the invasion of Kalinga by Ashoka, Udradesh had reached its zenith in those areas. According to “ Boudhjatak”, there was existence of lots of forts, towns, palaces made of brick, clay and stone in Kalinga. Those buildings had its rooms painted with several art forms depicting mythology, culture etc., which proves the expertise possessed by the craft persons of Kalinga.