Odissi and the Geeta Govinda

172 Pages·2022·36.43 MB·English

by  Ileana Citaristi

ODISSI AND THE GEETA GOVINDA

The book attempts to trace an overview of the different components that define the cultural
landscape of the state of Odisha in relation to its history, religious cults, art, and literature
and to link the development of the various aspects to the role played over the centuries by
the Geeta Govinda poem in its different manifestations.
From being an important component of the rituals performed in the Jagannath Temple to
becoming an essential part of the people’s daily lives and artistic expressions, this immortal
poem has exercised its influence on the cultural landscape of the state from its early inception
in the twelfth century until present times.
Religious beliefs, visual representations, performative expressions, and literary composi­
tions have been influenced by the strong emotional appeal contained in its verses. Its musical
structure, spiritual underline and histrionic content have been an essential font of inspiration
in the process of the rediscovery of a cultural identity during the last century and continue
to exercise a strong influence on the performing arts of the present times.
Among all the art forms, the classical style of Odissi dance, the way it has been re-structured
in the middle of the last century, is perhaps the one which bears the closest contact with the
poem, almost being synonymous with it. The dance’s lyrical quality and its emotional appeal
steeped in a long history of association with devotional and spiritual values make it an ideal
form of visual expression for the literary content of the poem.
Ileana Citaristi is an Italian-born Odissi and Chhau dancer, guru, and choreographer, based
in Bhubaneshwar since 1979. She has authored three books: The Making of a Guru: Kelucharan
Mohapatra: His Life and Times (2001), Traditional Martial Practices in Orissa (2012) and My
Journey: A Tale of Two Births (2015). She is imparting training in Odissi and Chhau dance at
her own institution, Art Vision in Bhubaneswar, founded by her in 1996.

ODISSI

AND THE
Geeta Govinda

ILEANA CITARISTI
MANOHAR
First published 2023
by Routledge
4 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
and by Routledge
605 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2023 Ileana Citaristi and Manohar Publishers
The right of Ileana Citaristi to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with sections 77
and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic,
mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any
information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for
identification and explanation without intent to infringe.
Print edition not for sale in South Asia (India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan or Bhutan)
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
A catalog record for this book has been requested
ISBN: 978-1-032-37524-3 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-032-37525-0 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-003-34061-4 (ebk)
DOI: 10.4324/9781003340614
Typeset in Adobe Garamond Pro 11.5/15
by Kohli Print, Delhi 110051
C
ONTENTS
List of Illustrations 7

Preface 9

1. Jagannath Mandir between Myths and History 11

2. Poet Jayadeva and the Geeta Govinda 25

3. The Temple Dancers 46

4. From Temple to Stage 86

5. The Revival 112

6. Music of Geeta Govinda 143

Appendix: Photo Feature

Ashtapadi in Odissi: Yahi Madhava

yahi Keshava mahavada kaitava vadam 153

Bibliography 161

Index 165

L
IST OF ILLUSTRATIONS*
2.1. Kangra painting of opening verses ad 1800 26

2.2. Madhavananda Temple, Niali—Varaha avatar 27

2.3. Madhavananda Temple, Niali—Narasimha avatar 28

2.4. Madhavananda Temple, Niali—Vamana avatar 28

2.5. Chandi Temple (ninth century), Kenduli 30

2.6. Khandua with Geeta Govinda shloka 34

2.7. Radha suffering in separation (Courtesy: Orissa State Museum) 37

2.8. Radha confiding with her friend

(Courtesy: Orissa State Museum) 38

2.9. Krishna repenting (Courtesy: Orissa State Museum) 38

2.10. Radha orders her lover to resettle her hair

(Courtesy: Orissa State Museum) 39

3.1. Inscription of Megheswar Temple, Bhubaneswar now

kept in Ananta Vasudeva Temple 49

3.2. Inscription of Sobhaneswara Temple, Niali 50

3.3. Kokila Prabha mahari 55

3.4. Shashimani mahari 55

3.5. Harapriya Devi mahari 55

3.6. Bandha or group acrobatic posture, Mukteswar Temple 60

3.7. Chowka as fertility—Ganga Yamuna Temple,

fourteenth century, Bhubaneswar 60

* All photographs in the book except nos. 2.7, 2.8, 2.9, 2.10, 4.9, 5.9, 5.11, 5.12 and
photographs in Appendix have been taken by the author or in her possession.
8 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
3.8. Candan Yatra 2021—Bhadra chapa and Nanda chapa 62
3.9. Akhada pila, Puri 1981 64
3.10. Perforated window with male dancers on the front
facade of the Parasurameswar Temple 65
3.11. Ten armed Shiva on the front facade of the
Vaital Deul Temple, eighth-ninth centuries 66
3.12. Making of anasara pati 70
3.13. A girl dressed for performing neta puja 78
4.1. Babaji Vaishnava Charan Das 93
4.2. Maana Bhanjan in Odissi style, 2011 95
4.3. Radhapremaleela by guru Gobinda Pradhan troupe, 2000 96
4.4. Mohansundar Dev Goswami 98
4.5. Rasleela-Bana Bihari by Durlav Charan Singh troupe, 1998 101
4.6. Pankaj Charan Das, 1986 103
4.7. Kashinath Sahu as Krishna in the late 1940s 104
4.8. Dashavatar in patachitra painting 108
4.9. Kelucharan and Lakshmipriya in Dashavatar, 1947
(Courtesy: Srjan) 109
5.1. Sadhana Bose performing in the early 1950s 114
5.2. Alasa kanya-camara 122
5.3. Alasa kanya-ketakibharana 123
5.4. Alasa kanya-mardala 123
5.5. Alasa kanya-matrumurti 123
5.6. Alasa kanya-nupura padika 123
5.7. Alasa kanya-padmagandha 124
5.8. Kharavela inscription 124
5.9. Mayadhar Rout and Sanjukta Panigrahi—
Geeta Govinda, 1963 (Courtesy: Guru Mayadhar Rout) 129
5.10. Patachitra Krishna collecting flowers for prepairing the bed 132
5.11. Kelucharan Mohapatra in Jayadeva Seminar, 1967
(Courtesy: Sangeet Natak Akademi) 135
5.12. Kelucharan Mohapatra in Jayadeva Seminar, 1967
(Courtesy: Sangeet Natak Akademi) 135
5.13. Konarka sitting pose 136
5.13A. Kelucharan Mohapatra portraying Radha in a sitting position 136
5.14. Konarka sitting pose 137
5.14A. Kelucharan Mohapatra portraying Radha’s pose in Kuru
Yadunandana 137
6.1. Dyana murti of raga Basanta 146
6.2. Dyana murti of raga Bhairavi 147
6.3. Dyana murti of raga Malava 147
Yahi Madhava yahi Keshava mahavada kaitava vadam by
Ileana Citaristi, 1987 (photos by Sebastiana Papa) 153-160
P
REFACE
T
he book is mainly a work of love towards Odisha and its rich culture.
Since it is difficult to treat the different aspects of this culture as separate compartments one
has to proceed in circles from the periphery in order to reach the centre.
When I came to Odisha 41 years ago I knew almost nothing about it, I had only heard
about its dance form. I thought one year would be sufficient to learn the movements which
I wanted to apply to my theatre work. After 41 years, I am still navigating into a sea of
correlated symbols and metaphors which have become more and more intricate for me with
the passage of time.
Jayadeva’s Geeta Govinda poem was one of the things which fascinated me from the very
begining; at first as a romantic story and then as an allegorical, philosophical, sensual, spiritual
work; all rolled into one. Moreover I had the good fortune to learn the exquisite dance
choreographies of the ashtapadi directly from my mentor and guru Kelucharan Mohapatra,
whose renditions of the same have become legendary.
Geeta Govinda brought me towards my first research into the devadasi system of the
Jagannath Temple. In the early 1980s one of them ‘adopted’ me and introduced me into
the rituals of the eclectic and syncretic cult of lord Jagannath, which still reverberates as a
pulsating reality in the daily practice and beliefs of the people of this land.
Every action, event, celebration started to acquire a meaning in relation to something
else. Literature got related to sculpture, poetry to painting, music to rhythm, architecture to
history and above all life and culture started mirroring each other in an unending circle of
interrelations.