Spice of Life: Odisha, a cultural oasis that has stood the test of time
Being face to face with the rock edicts of Ashoka at the Buddhist stupa at Dhauli is akin to landing in a time machine at a momentous turn of Asian history.
To be honest, my impression of Odisha (previously Orissa, and traditionally Utkala) was largely based on the stirring poetry of Jayanta Mahapatra. Son of the soil, the Padma Shri awardee has etched out indelible images of the Kalinga war, power, hunger, the 1866 famine and the mutating regional social realities at large. So when I took off on an impromptu short trip to Bhubaneshwar, my expectations were pretty regular. I was delightfully embarrassed at my unawareness.
In the warm winter sunlight, the optics of the capital city were dazzling. It interminably rolled out its colourful walls, impeccably painted with all that matters to the lived Odishan experience. What a fleeting feast for a commuter’s eye! Most buildings and homes enclosed in these eloquent walls are painted in vibrant pastels, off set with resplendent contrasting hues. Home to more than 600 Hindu, Buddhist and Jain temples, it is also the site of fascinating first century BC rock-cut marvels, popularly called Udaygiri and Khandagir caves. Inside the caves, the ancient illustrations in sculptural relief, acoustic and drainage layout, the sloping floor beds of Jain ascetics seem to whisper mysterious tales from across centuries. Who knows the concept of high-rise building lies in the viscera of these nesting caves? The former concretises the air; the latter aerates the hill rock.
Being face to face with the rock edicts of Ashoka at the Buddhist stupa at Dhauli is akin to landing in a time machine at a momentous turn of Asian history. With pit-stops for coconut water, the de tour to the heritage village at Raghurajpur, en route Puri, was a peep into the millenniums old tribal art and dance forms. Curbing the touristy tendency of defensive bargaining, I indulged in miscellanea of exquisite pattachitras, the silken scroll paintings that marked the footprints of age-old regional ethos. Upholding the aura of being the birthplace of three Padma-awardee exponents of Odissi and Gotipua dance forms, the village dance troupes eagerly await visitors to showcase their catchy performances.
The corridor to the historic Jagannath Temple at Puri stands fairly widened, easing out the heavy footfall of pilgrims, creating a fresh vista of its architectural splendour. Smaller replicas of the iconic temple dot the rural landscape, creating a unique local ambience. Wading through the narrow, crowded market lanes off the marine drive, it was rather difficult to locate the miniscule gurudwara marking the visit of Guru Nanak Dev to Puri. All the same, the sublime image of him composing the soulful ‘Aarti’ to the rhythm of waves at the pristine golden beach, aeons ago, flooded the mind.
‘Poetry in stone’ is how Tagore described the Sun Temple at Konark. This ‘black pagoda’ with intricate engravings of mythological tales, war scenes, hunting expeditions, dancing figurines, amorous poses, animals, plants, nymphs and the iconic chariot wheels cum sun-dials stands majestic in its ruins. Indeed, ‘the language of stone far surpasses the language of man’. The breeze from casuarinas trees mingling with the roaring waves of the bay made the visit to the town a truly surreal experience.
Surely, the state has its economic challenges, especially in the rural and tribal areas, but it seemed on track. In a year of elections, it has likely sidestepped the viciousness of political frenzy all around.
The writer is head, department of English, Government College for Girls, Sector 11, Chandigarh, and can be reached at manindersidhu7@gmail.com.
