A brief about the state and a poem.

1. Odisha formerly known as Orissa, is an Indian state located in Eastern India facing the Bay of
Bengal, the 8th largest state by area, the 11th largest by population in India, with a coastline of
485 kilometres (301 mi) along the Bay of Bengal. The region is also known as Utkala and is
mentioned in India's national anthem, "Jana Gana Mana", also known as Kalinga that changed
the heart of Ashoka after the Kalinga War, the cruel war-monger Emperor to a Peace
messenger, preacher of Buddhism. The then Odisha remained as the hub of Buddhism that the
Buddhist preachers from Odisha spread to Srilanka and east-Asian countries like Thailand,
Cambodia, Indonesia. Odisha gave birth to Bajra-yan, Sahaja-yan two sects of Buddhism. It is
home to 22 languages and 74 dialects. The local official language of Odisha is Odia, which is
one of the Classical Languages of India. Odisha is also known for its temples: Konark temple,
Jagannath Temple, Chilika lake - Asia’s largest brackish water lagoon, its forests and ancient
tribes. Koraput (Odisha) is known to be a centre of origin and diversity of Asian cultivated rice
(Oryza sativa). And lately, the state has been commonly referred to as India’s best-kept secret.
Odisha remained under British rule from 1803 to 1947. Odisha people fiercely fought for
freedom along with the people of other states in India. Pandit Gopabandhu Das, lovingly known
as Utkalmani (the Gem of Odisha) was the main leader of struggles for independence in Odisha
as Gandhi Ji was at the National level. He was one of the founders of modern Odisha as a
separate state. He was a freedom fighter, poet, journalist, educationist, social reformer, lawyer,
a legislator at the same time. He founded the Samaj an Odia newspaper. He was imprisoned for
years for his fights against British rule. He composed this poem, while he was in jail. Through
this poem "Bandira Atmakatha", he appeals to the people.

3. Odissi is a major ancient Indian classical dance that originated in the Hindu temples of Odisha.
It was performed predominantly by women and expressed religious stories and spiritual ideas.
The theoretical foundations of Odissi trace to the ancient Sanskrit text Natya Shastra, whose
antiquity can be seen in dance positions in Odissi Hindu temple sculptures and archaeological
sites associated to Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. Odissi is a dance-drama type of
performance art in which the artist uses symbolic costumes, body movement, abhinaya
(expressions), and mudras (gestures and sign language) from ancient Sanskrit literature to
enact a storey, a spiritual message, or devotional poetry from Hindu texts. Odissi is learnt and
performed as a composite of basic dance motif called the Bhangas (symmetric body bends,
stance). It combines geometric symmetry and rhythmic musical resonance with lower (footwork),
mid (torso), and upper (hand and head) sources of perfecting expression and audience
interaction. An Odissi performance repertoire includes invocation, nritta (pure dance), nritya
(expressive dance), natya (dance drama) and moksha (dance climax connoting freedom of the
soul and spiritual release). Traditional Odissi exists in two major styles, the first perfected by
women and focussed on solemn, spiritual temple dance (maharis); the second perfected by
boys dressed as girls (gotipuas) which diversified to include athletic and acrobatic moves, and
were performed from festive occasions in temples to general folksy entertainment. Traditional
Odissi repertoire sequence starts with an invocation called Mangalacharana. Mangalacharana
marks the Odissi dancer's entry on the stage, as he/she invokes the blessings of Lord
Jagannath for an auspicious beginning. A shloka (hymn) in praise of Lord Jagannath is
expressed through dance. Mangalacharana is followed by Pushpanjali (offering of flowers) and
Bhumi Pranam (salutation to mother earth). The invocation also includes Trikhandi Pranam or
the three-fold salutation – to the Devas (gods), to the Gurus (teachers) and to the Lokas or
Rasikas (fellow dancers and audience).