Konark: As dusk settled over Konark, the venue of open air auditorium with the magnificent, sculptural marvel Sun Temple forming the backdrop for five-day Konark Festival burst into life on Monday.
Aesthetically crafted gates announcing the beginning of the festival were mounted at the entrances, while two young women greeted the arriving guests with showering flower petals, setting the stage for a truly festive evening.
The tress flanking the walkway, along with those within the venue were decorated with colourful lights and hanging lamps giving the visitors the sense that the entire space donned its festive best. Every detail—meticulously taken care of by Odisha’s Tourism Department—spoke of careful planning and heartfelt hospitality.
The 36th edition of the Konark Festival witnessed the presence of dignitaries like Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, his wife Dr. Priyanka Marandi, Deputy Chief Minister Smt. Pravati Parida, MP of Jagatsinghpur Bibhu Prasad Tarai, Kakatpur MLA Tusharkanti Behera, Pipili MLA Ashrit Pattanayak, Satyabadi MLA Om Prakash Mishra, Brahmagiri MLA Smt. Upasna Mohapatra and Puri MLA Sunil Kumar Mohanty who inaugurated the event by lighting the ceremonial lamp.
Renowned for showcasing India’s rich cultural heritage through classical dance traditions, the inaugural evening opened with enchanting Odissi performances by Smt. Sonali Mohapatra and the artistes of Nrutya Upasana Pitha, Bhubaneswar.The artistes commenced their presentations with Odissi ‘Hanuman Chalisa’, composed by Saint Tulsidas, with music by Guru Abhiram Nanda and choreography by Guru Smt. Sonali Mohapatra.
From their first presentation, marked by precision, fluid grace and clarity of movements, the artistes quickly stroke a chord with the art connoisseurs, leaving them captivated.
They followed it up with ‘Saranga Pallavi’, a pure dance piece capturing the unfolding beauty of the raga through intricate rhythm and lyrical body movements, choreographed by Guru Smt. Sonali Mohapatra, with music and rhythm composed by Nirmal Kumar Mahapatra.
Their crafting of balanced poses transported viewers to the world of temple sculptures—at times making the dancers appear as though they had stepped straight out of the temple walls.
The troupe concluded with ‘Chari Yuga Devi’, a dynamic portrayal of Goddess Durga’s power, also choreographed by Guru Smt. Sonali Mohapatra, with music and rhythm by Nirmal Kumar Mahapatra, offering the audience a visual delight that they wouldn’t soon forget.
The artistes were Satya Prakash Sahoo, Anwesha Das, Saloni Padhi, Swati Sonalika Panda, Swastika Swagatika Mishra, Shreejita Suman, Urjaj Sharma, Padmaja Priyambada, Tangudu Dipti, Rajashree Mohapatra, Manyasha Ray, Ratnapadma Aerasmita Jangyaseni, Satyaprakash Mallik, Rohini Samal, Bhupati Gayatri and Vidisha Vasumallik. And, the accompanying musicians w3ho gave them a suitable support were Rupak Kumar Parida (vocal), Ramachandra Behera (Mardal), Abhiram Nanda (Flute), Sitakanta Jena (Manjira), Pradeep Kumar Maharana (Violin), Madan Mohan Tripathy (Tabla), Ramesh Chandra Das (Violin) and Satyaban Sethi (Sitar).
Adding to the cultural richness of the evening was mesmerising Bharatanatyam performances by the artistes of Dr. Ananda Shankar Jayant’s Shankarananda Kalakshetra Institute, Hyderabad. Their repertoire included ‘Dasavataram’, a Telugu composition on the ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu by Bhakta Ramadas; ‘Devi Upasakam’ and ‘Arghya Shivoham’, a poignant offering to Lord Shiva.
Each piece conceptualized and directed by Dr. Ananda Shankar Jayant showcased the precision, geometry and aesthetic purity of Bharatanatyam at its finest.
The artistes were Guru Dr Ananda Shankay Jayant, Sneha Magapu, Poojitha Namburi, Anusha Namburi, Srividya Sripathi, Neha Sathanapalli, Ridhisri Yadav, Alla Khevna Reddy, Sreenidhi Ramaswamy, Sreya Sunil and Aradhya Gautam.
The anchors were Dr Mrutyunjay Rath and Dr Nazia Alam, who held the evening together with their signature effortless grace.
Meanwhile, the pristine Chandrabhaga Beach played to host to live sand art displays, which will continue till December 5.
This year, a total of 136 artists from India, including 40 women and 96 men, are participating, alongside five international sand artists from Spain, Russia, Japan, Portugal and Sri Lanka, all adding a global flavour to Odisha’s iconic shoreline. Padma Shri recipient sand artist Sudarshan Pattnaik is the brand ambassador of the sand art festival.
The festivals were attended by Director of Tourism Deepankar Mohapatra, Puri Collector Dibya Jyoti Parida, Puri SP Prateek Singh, OSNA secretary Chandra Sekhar Hota and other senior government officials.
Organised by the Department of Tourism, Government of Odisha, in association with the Odisha Sangeet Natak Akademi (OSNA) and the Odisha Tourism Development Corporation (OTDC), the five-day celebration promises to be a cultural spectacle to remember.
