The Odissi dance form was born in Orissa. It is written in the history of Indian classical dance that king Indradyumna had invited Lord Brahma before before the construction of the Puri temple. Lord Brahma came to Indradyumna with Biswakarma, Padmanidhi, Narda and a few Gandharvas. They were accompanied by Urvashi and Rambha, the voluptuous dances of heaven. After the construction of the temple, Jagannath, Ballehadra and Subhadra were brought on a chariot and snugly ensconced there. To celebrate this divine occasion, Urvashi and Rambha presented a new kind of dance with music which enthralled everybody present. This is believed to be the first presentation of Odissi dance. However, in the voluminous book ‘Abhinoy Chandrika’ composed by Maheswar Mahapatra in the 17th century AD, there is a different account of the origin and development of Odissi which is stated from the third verse to the eighteenth verse. According to it, Lord Shiva taught this dance to his son Ganesh who in turn, taught this quintessential dance form to Manirambha, a dancer of heaven. In course of time, Manirambha taught this to Bharat and in this way it was passed down the generations.
In the Natya Shastras, it is mentioned that the ‘Oudra Magadhi’ form of dance was the progenitor of Odissi. It is assumed that this Oudra Magadhi dance was the popular dance form in the antiquity which was practiced by the Devdasis. In the seventeenth century, it came out of the confines of the temples and ceased to be the sole art of Devdasis as it entered the royal courts. With the passage of time, the Devdasis became synonymous with strumpets and Odissi became immensely popular. Gingerly, it gained prestige and importance and started to be practiced in the ménages. Within a short span of time, Odissi assumed an organized form and became more popular than ever, The Sculptures of Odissi dancers on the walls of temples are testimony to its tremendous popularity and influence in the society. Anent to this, one can easily reckon an image sculpted in the walls of Parshuram Temple in Bhubaneswar. The pose and expression of the image at once reminds one of ‘Chowka’, the typical Odissi gesture. Another Odissi gesture ‘Tribhanga’ is seen sculpted on the walls of Raja Rani Temple in Bhubaneswar. This image was sculpted in 10th century AD. Different Odissi gestures are found not only sculpted on temples but also delineated on very old manuscripts made of palm leaves. Hence, it can be said that Odissi did not merely originate from the accounts as given in the Natya Shastrays. Several factors led to the blossoming of this dance form which was manifested in the sculptures on temples.
In the succeeding ages, Odissi dance form has carved an exclusive niche for itself in the history of Indian classical dance. This has made possible due to extensive research work, sincerest aptitude and rigorous practice as well as unique creative brilliance of several Odissi exponents and their disciples down the ages. Odissi dance has also been influenced by several religious doctrines and philosophies. Of these, the Vaishnava philosophy has had the most powerful influence on it. An Odissi dancer has to act particular sequence’s while performing the dance and he/she must have a good concept of acting as well. This is particularly important when it comes to facial expressions.
It has been noticed, however, that when it comes to acting, Odissi is far more dependent on Geeta Govinda rather than any other theme. It is generally believed that ‘…the composers fixed the ‘tala’ and ‘raga’ of each song as in those of Geeta Govinda. This has greatly helped the maintenance of the purity of the style and continuance of tradition.
Au reste, Odissi’s dependence on ‘Geeta Govinda’ has enhanced its popularity and made it acceptable to the masses. The reasons contributing to the immense popularity of Odissi are manifold. It is assumed for instance that ‘The songs sung by the vocalist…excerpts from Geeta Govinda are commonly used. Mostly these romantic compositions are set in a slow tempo and the dancer gets full scope to depict the emotion by gestures and softer movements to bring home to the audience the full meaning of the compositions. The dance while partraying the ‘bhava’ brings out the myriad nuances of the Shrinagar rasa. The songs used in this item deal with devotion or Bhakti Ras.