In Oriya language, “Goti” means single and “Pua” means boy. Gotipua means male dancers dressed as females, dancing for female roles. I recently visited Odisha and had a chance to see the famous Gotipua dance. It requires lot of balancing skills. This dance symbolizes rich cultural heritage of Odisha. The Gotipuas are mostly young boys, from 6-14 years of age who dress as females and perform the dance with high degree of sophistication, just like any other female dancer. Even though the Gotipua dance is applicable to the Odissi style, it varies in its technique, costumes and presentation.

The dance is not easy to perform. It requires rigorous training and regular practice. It requires a lot of balancing of the body. The boys are trained from young age till adolescence.

There are two prevalent theories when it comes to the history of Gotipua: one theory states that the Devadasi system gradually declined with the advent of the Mughals. The priests of the Puri Jagannath temple selected boys from poor families to dance for the deity and carry forward the legacy. The other theory is related to Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, the famous Bhakti saint, who wanted dance troupes to dance during the Rath Yatra. However, the temple priests declined his request citing menstruating devadasis would make the ceremony impure, hence eventually young boys were chosen for this dance.

It’s sad that slowly Gotipua tradition is on extinct; boys no longer want to dress like women and dance. However, some ardent followers of the dance like Guru Budhnath Pradhan are trying to keep the dance style alive. I had a chance to talk to Shri. Budhanath Pradhan, he said that he and some other dancers are trying their best to revive the dance form. However, without the Government support they feel helpless. Budhanath Pradhan runs his gurukool (dance academy) with scarce financial aid… The costume and jewellery is so expensive. The boys need proper food and nutrients as they come from very poor families.

Gotipua repertoire involving all elements of the dance; this dance form is highly spiritual. The dance forms a gamut of styles which includes:

Mangalacharan: Invocation of the Lord Jagannath’s blessings. The piece simply involves showering the God/Goddess’s idol with flower, praying to the deity and welcoming all the audiences for the dance recital.

Abhinaya: This is the piece exclusively for expressing various emotions through dance. Typically, Lord Krishna’s mischief is the subject in abhinaya recital, though not necessary.

Pallavi: This is a piece to highlight the talents of the dancer in the technical aspect of dances. This is also a part were the accompanist can elaborate on singing and rhythm.

Dance drama: Odissi is mostly danced solo, but a dance drama gives opportunity for a group performance on any mythological account.

Moksha: The recital concludes with Moksha (liberation of the soul from worldly affairs, also known as spiritual liberation or oneness of the soul with God). This piece is usually very spiritual and the dancer connects with the God through intense dancing. The entire recital concludes with some shloka.

Gotipua carvings:  Long ago, the temples in Orissa had female dancers known as devdasis (or mahari), who were devoted to Jagannath, which gave rise to Mahiri dance. The temples such as Konark, Lingaraj and Jagannath Puri have beautifully carved sculptures of dancers in Orissa. The renowned master of Odissi dance such as Kelucharan Mohapatra was initially Gotipua dancer in his youth. He is the first person to receive the Padma Vibhushan from Odisha. Each year, the Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra Odissi Research Centre organises the Gotipua Dance Festival in Bhubaneshwar.

The dance typically begins with a vandana prayer an invocation, with prayers of gratitude to Mother Earth, Jagannath and one’s guru and welcoming the audience. The dancers perform a three-step salutation: the first above their heads towards God, the second in front of their faces for the guru and the third in front of their chests for the audience. The Sarigama is a dance celebrating beauty, and highlighting the mastery of technique; it is portrayed by dancers and musicians carved into the outer walls of ancient temples.

The Abhinaya is the enactment of a song and interpretation of ancient poetry. This dance depicts Radha-Krishna oriented poems, such as the 12th-century Gita Govinda. The verses used for narration are extremely ornate in content and suggestion. Graceful, fluid, and sensual, the Abhinaya resembles a moving love poem with its facial expressions, eye movement and mudra gestures.

The costume and make-up: To facilitate the make-over into graceful feminine dancers, the boys do not cut their hair to make an elaborate hair-do in a knot. Garlands of flowers are woven into the hair. They apply make-up on their face with white and red powder mixed together. Kajal (black eyeliner) is applied around the eyes with a broad outline to give them an elongated look. The Bindi (red dot) is applied on the forehead with a pattern made from sandalwood around it. Traditional paintings adorn the face and are the identity of every dance school.

The dance costume has evolved over time. The traditional dress is a “Kanchula”, bright coloured blouse with shiny adornment. An apron-like and embroidered silk cloth is tied around the waist like a frill worn around the legs: it is called “nibibandha”. The Gotipua dancers have given up their traditional costume due to the influence of modernity. In some cases, they still adhere to the tradition; they use the pattasari made with one piece of tissue around four meters long, which is worn tightly by having equal lengths of material on both sides, and by tying a knot on the navel. Those traditional dresses are often replaced by a new designed cloth easier for dressing. The dancers wear specially designed jewellery made with beads, necklaces, bracelets, armbands and ear ornaments. The nose piercing jewellery has been replaced nowadays by a painted motive. They add ankle bells to accentuate the beats tapped out by the feet. Palms and soles are painted with a red liquid called “Alta”. In the Gotipua dance the costume, jewellery and bells are revered as sacred items.

Kudos to the Gurus who are keeping the dance form alive, seeing is believing. Please do watch this dance whenever you visit Odisha.