Dhauli Mahotsava is celebrated for three days in the foothill of the Dhauli rangesevery year. The festival of Orissa is organized by the Orissa Dance Academy with an aim to create an awareness of our cultural heritage among the people of Orissa. The academy is one of the premier cultural institutions of Orissa that was founded by Guru Gangadhar Pradhan in the year 1975. Since its commencement the academy was has been engaged in projecting the rich art and culture of Orissa through out the country and abroad.
In the year 2003 Orissa Dance Academy began the Dhauli Mahotsava from 27th March. The purpose behind this Mahotsava is to showcase the wide range of rural art and culture from classical to folk items such as Odissi dance, Odissi vocal, Mardal recital, Chhau dance, Daskathia, Pala, Yajna, Sankirtan etc. Almost 500 artists amalgamate from diverse ends and perform on the different days of the Mahotsava. The festival has been widely accepted among the lovers of music and dances. The raw energy of the dance performances, the gracefulness of the precise movements and powerful body language is main attraction to enjoy this incredible Mahotsava.
Celebration of Dhauli Mahotsava
A kaleidoscope of performances of classical and folk-dance forms regales viewers at the Dhauli Mahotsava. The celebration starts off with kathak, Odissi and gotipua on the first day. An impressive repertoire of Manipuri martial dance "Thang ta" are performed by the dancers from Anjika, Kolkata. Danseuse Priti Patel showcases a variety of authentic compositions and the most striking sequence is Malem, a homage to Mother Earth and the endless sky.
The most breathtaking presentations at the festival were `KuchipudiVaibhavam` — a vibrant dance performance with rhythmic movements and graceful expressions by Vyjayanthi Kashi from Bangalore, a recital by dancer Meera Das and her disciples from Gunjan Dance Academy from Cuttack and Utsab Das Ghoda Nata Troupe from Choudwar performed the popular folk dance-drama Chaiti Ghoda. There concluding item was “Dikshya†-an Odissi dance drama, narrating the historic Kalinga war and the transformation of warrior king Ashoka to a Budhhist follower.
The calm and solemn statue of Buddha overlooking the entire stage from the top of the Stupa and the tranquil expanse of the countryside populated by paddy fields and cashew plantations provides the peaceful background to the outburst of movements and sounds which accompany the performance of the dance artists.
Since 1986 the Orissa Dance Academy has been organizing festivals every year at different corners of the country. Publicity of the festival is made through different media viz. printing invitation card, displaying banners and hoardings, film slide and also through email contacts and websites. This festival promotes tourism by attracting large number of tourists every year presenting the Orissa art and culture before them.