When men tread female turf

The Gotipua dance, performed by young male dancers in feminine roles, has played an important role in preserving Orissa’s dance heritage, writes Jayalakshmi Yegnaswamy.

The tradition of dance can be traced to the ancient times in Orissa. Bas relief depicting dancing damsels in the hills of Udayagiri near Bhuvanaeshwar date back to the 1st century B.C. An ancient treatise Natya Shastra, written by Bharatha Muni on Indian dance makes a reference to the dance of Orissa as Odra-Magadhi. An association between dance and rituals has existed since ancient time. Various ancient Hindu scriptures such as the Utkala Khanda of the Skanda Purana, Visnu Purana, Niladri Mahodaya etc. mention the relationship between the dance and religious rituals. The very first record of the dance of Orissa is found in a Puranic manuscript where rituals are performed in the form of dance to worship Lord Jagannath at the temple of Puri. This tradition prevailed since the period of Ganga rulers in Orissa.

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