The very last piece Bhadgvat Gita has assumed a position of universal importance and interest providing a clear philosophy of mortal living, purpose and the path to salvation. In this episode Arjuna sees his kinsmen prepared for the war. Arjuna in the battlefield is symbolic of man s own tryst with life and destiny. Odissi is one of the seven principal classical dance forms from India. It originated as a form of worship in the temples of Orissa, in eastern India.
Archeological evidence proves that it is one of the most ancient Indian classical dance forms.
The thirteenth century Sun Temple of Konark is a brilliant example, where inumerable panels and friezes portray this dance form. With successive political changes, Odissi dance moved from the temples to the courts of the kings and then to the streets where it became a mode of entertainment. In the process, the sophistication and austerity of the original form was lost. Later, in the post-independence era, the scholars and gurus of Odissi such as Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra used references from temple carvings to revive the Odissi dance in its current refined form.