Culture of Odisha: Jagannath, Odissi and the living traditions of Utkala

01 · Overview

What makes Odia culture distinctive?

The culture of Odisha grew from many roots: the coastal kingdoms of Kalinga and Utkala, the hill and forest communities of the interior, centuries of seafaring trade, and the great religious movements that passed through the region. What binds them together is the Odia language and the cult of Jagannath, the “Lord of the Universe”, who belongs to every Odia home.

• Presiding deityLord Jagannath, Puri
• LanguageOdia — classical language (2014)
• Classical danceOdissi
• Great festivalRatha Yatra, Puri
• Signature craftsPattachitra, appliqué, filigree, ikat
• Temple styleKalinga style

02 · The heart of Odisha

Jagannath culture

Lord Jagannath, worshipped at Puri with his brother Balabhadra and sister Subhadra, is the central figure of Odia religious and cultural life. Scholars trace his worship to tribal roots, later absorbed into Vaishnava, Shaiva and Shakta traditions, so that the cult became a meeting point of almost every faith in Odisha. The temple’s daily rituals, its servitors, the Mahaprasad shared across caste lines and the annual Ratha Yatra make Jagannath a living presence rather than a distant god. Rulers from the Gangas to the Marathas, and the Odia people in every age, have defined themselves through his service.

• Main guideCult of Jagannatha: History and SignificanceThe full story of Jagannath worship.Read article →
• OriginsOrigin and Development of the Cult of JagannathHow the cult grew over the centuries.Read article →
• OriginsTribal Origin of the Cult of JagannathThe Sabara and tribal roots of the deity.Read article →
• SocietyImpact of the Jagannath Cult on Odishan SocietyHow Jagannath shaped Odia life and identity.Read article →
• RitualDaily Rituals of Lord JagannathaThe temple’s day from dawn to night.Read article →
• NamesDifferent Names of Lord JagannathaThe many names of the Lord and their meanings.Read article →
• PilgrimagePanchatirtha of PuriThe five sacred bathing places.Read article →
• HistoryMaratha Contributions to Jagannath CulturePatronage of the temple under the Marathas.Read article →

03 · Many paths

The faiths of Odisha

Odisha has been a meeting ground of faiths for over two thousand years. Jainism flourished under Kharavela at Udayagiri and Khandagiri; Buddhism built great monasteries at Ratnagiri, Lalitgiri and Udayagiri; Shaiva temples filled Bhubaneswar and Shakti shrines such as Biraja, Tarini and the yogini temples spread across the land. In the medieval period the Bhakti movement of Sri Chaitanya and the Pancha Sakhas carried devotion into the Odia language, and in the 19th century Mahima Dharma rejected image worship and caste. Islam and Christianity added their own threads to Odia life.

• BhaktiSri Chaitanya Faith in OdishaChaitanya in Puri and the Gajapati court.Read article →
• BhaktiSri Chaitanya Bhakti in Odisha and its InfluenceHow Chaitanya’s devotion shaped Odia culture.Read article →
• Poet-saintsPancha Sakhas of Medieval OdishaFive poets who carried devotion to every village.Read article →
• ReformMahima Dharma: History and TeachingsThe faith of Mahima Gosain and Bhima Bhoi.Read article →
• ShaktiHistory of the Sakti Cult in OdishaGoddess worship from Tarini to Kichakeswari.Read article →
• JainismKharavela and JainismThe Jain emperor and the caves of Udayagiri.Read article →
• BuddhismA 1,300-Year-Old Buddhist Stupa in JajpurNew evidence from Odisha’s Buddhist heartland.Read article →
• SocietySocio-Cultural Movements in Medieval OdishaThe legacy of Achyutananda Das.Read article →

04 · Stone & sculpture

Temples and sculpture

Odisha’s temple builders created the Kalinga style, with its curving rekha towers and tiered pidha halls, and covered their walls with some of India’s finest sculpture. Bhubaneswar, Puri and Konark preserve its whole history. Our full guide explains the types, parts and evolution of the Odishan temple.

• Main guideTemple Architecture of OdishaThe Kalinga style explained, with every temple article.Read guide →
• 13th centurySun Temple at KonarkThe chariot of the Sun God.Read article →
• 11th centuryLingaraj TempleThe grandest temple of Bhubaneswar.Read article →
• MonolithThe Aruna StambhaA single-stone pillar and its journey to Puri.Read article →

05 · Words

Odia language and literature

Odia developed from eastern Prakrit and appears in inscriptions from around the 10th century. Its literature begins in earnest with Sarala Das‘s Mahabharata in the 15th century, flowers in the devotional poetry of the Pancha Sakhas and the ornate verse of Upendra Bhanja, and is renewed in the 19th century by Fakir Mohan Senapati, Radhanath Ray and Gangadhar Meher. In 2014 Odia became the sixth Indian language to be declared classical.

• LanguageEvolution of the Odia LanguageA journey of resilience and excellence.Read article →
• LanguageImpact of Islam on Odia Language and LiteraturePersian words and forms in Odia.Read article →
• WriterFakir Mohan SenapatiThe father of modern Odia fiction.Read article →
• PoetGangadhar MeherThe poet of nature from Barpali.Read article →
• ClassicChilika — Radhanath RayThe great lake in Odia verse.Read article →
• PrintGrowth of Press and Journalism in OdishaHow newspapers shaped modern Odia.Read article →

06 · Performance

Dance, music and theatre

Odissi grew from the temple dance of the maharis and the boy dancers called gotipuas, and was rebuilt as a classical form in the mid-20th century by gurus such as Kelucharan Mohapatra, Pankaj Charan Das and Deba Prasad Das. It is danced to Odissi music, with the songs of Jayadeva’s Gita Govinda at its heart. Around them thrives a rich world of folk and martial dance, ballad and village theatre.

• OdissiClassical danceLyrical temple-born dance, recognised as one of India’s classical forms.
• GotipuaBoy dancersAcrobatic dance by boys dressed as girls, a root of modern Odissi.
• ChhauMayurbhanjVigorous martial dance of Mayurbhanj, performed at Chaitra Parba; on UNESCO’s intangible heritage list.
• Sambalpuri danceWestern OdishaFolk dances such as Dalkhai, set to the dhol and nisan.
• GhumuraKalahandiDance with a large earthen drum, once a war dance.
• Danda NachaRitual danceA month-long ritual performance of devotion to Shiva and Shakti.
• Prahlada NatakaGanjamTraditional musical drama of the Narasimha legend.
• JatraPopular theatreOpen-air travelling theatre, still hugely popular in villages.

For the artists behind these traditions — from Kelucharan Mohapatra and Sanjukta Panigrahi to Akshaya Mohanty and Raghunath Panigrahi — see Personalities of Odisha. Odia cinema began with Sita Bibaha in 1936.

07 · Hands & looms

Crafts and textiles

Many of Odisha’s crafts were born in the service of Jagannath — painting his icons, decorating his chariots, weaving his cloth — and are now made for homes around the world.

• PattachitraRaghurajpur, PuriCloth scroll paintings of Jagannath and the epics, in natural colours.
• AppliquéPipiliBright cut-cloth work used for temple canopies, umbrellas and the Ratha Yatra.
• Silver filigree (tarakasi)CuttackFine silver-wire jewellery and ornaments.
• Sambalpuri ikatWestern OdishaTie-and-dye bandha saris with patterns dyed into the threads.
• Bomkai & KotpadGanjam · KoraputDistinctive handloom saris; Kotpad uses natural dyes.
• DhokraTribal metalcraftLost-wax cast brass figures made by tribal artisans.
• Stone carvingPuri & BhubaneswarA living tradition of the temple sculptors.
• Saura paintingsSaura tribeRitual wall paintings (idital) of the Saura people.

08 · The year in Odisha

Festivals and fairs

Odias joke that there are “thirteen festivals in twelve months” (baara masa tera parba). These are among the best known.

• Ratha YatraPuri · June–JulyJagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra ride their great chariots through Puri. See the sacred timber.
• Raja ParbaMid-JuneThree-day festival celebrating the earth and womanhood at the start of the monsoon.
• NuakhaiWestern Odisha · Aug–SeptThanksgiving for the new rice crop, offered first to the deity.
• Durga PujaCuttack · Sept–OctFamous for silver-filigree decorations of the goddess.
• Bali JatraCuttack · Kartika PurnimaRemembers the voyages of Odia sailors to Bali and Southeast Asia. See the mariners of Kalinga.
• Dhanu JatraBargarh · Dec–JanA town-wide open-air theatre of the Krishna story.
• Chaitra ParbaMayurbhanj · AprilSpring festival and the main season of Chhau dance.
• Utkala Dibasa1 AprilOdisha’s foundation day. See Utkal Divas and Odia Paksha.

09 · The Odia kitchen

Food of Odisha

Odia food is simple, seasonal and built on rice, lentils, vegetables and fish, with a famous sweet tooth. Its spiritual centre is the Mahaprasad of the Jagannath Temple, cooked in earthen pots and shared by all at the Ananda Bazaar.

• MahaprasadJagannath TempleSacred food offered to Jagannath and shared without distinction of caste.
• PakhalaEveryday stapleFermented water rice, the summer meal of Odisha.
• DalmaEveryday stapleLentils cooked with vegetables — a temple and home favourite.
• Chhena PodaNayagarhBaked cottage-cheese sweet. See World Chhenapoda Dibasa.
• RasagolaPuri & SalepurOdisha’s famous sweet; “Odisha Rasagola” received a GI tag in 2019.
• Chhena JhiliNimapadaFried cottage-cheese sweet soaked in syrup.

10 · First peoples

Tribal heritage

Odisha is home to 62 Scheduled Tribes, more than any other Indian state, including 13 particularly vulnerable groups. Santal, Kandha, Gond, Saura, Munda, Bonda and Juang communities have their own languages, gods, dances and arts. Their traditions run deep in Odia culture — not least in the tribal roots of Jagannath himself — and their history includes some of the strongest resistance to colonial rule.

• Main guideTribes of OdishaThe communities, cultures and history of Odisha’s tribes.Read guide →
• FaithTribal Origin of the Cult of JagannathThe Sabara roots of the deity.Read article →
• CommemorationHonouring Mata KarmaIndia Post’s stamp for the revered devotee.Read article →

11 · Complete index

All articles on the culture of Odisha

Every culture article on this site, grouped by theme. Type below to find one quickly.

No article matches that search. Try “Jagannath”, “Odia” or “temple”.

Sources & further reading

1. Eschmann, A., H. Kulke and G. C. Tripathi (eds.). The Cult of Jagannath and the Regional Tradition of Orissa. New Delhi: Manohar, 1978.
2. Mishra, K. C. The Cult of Jagannatha. Calcutta: Firma K. L. Mukhopadhyay, 1971.
3. Mansinha, Mayadhar. History of Oriya Literature. New Delhi: Sahitya Akademi, 1962.
4. Donaldson, Thomas E. Hindu Temple Art of Orissa, 3 vols. Leiden: Brill, 1985–87.
5. Das, Manas Kumar. History of Odisha, Vols. I–III.