Search
» »Konark Dance Festival!

Konark Dance Festival!

By Shruthi

Konark Dance Festival takes place from 1st to 5th of December every year! Konark is a town in the Puri district of Odisha. It comes alive every year to its annual Konark Dance festival when various artists from across the nation come to exhibit their classical dance forms. The most awaited presentation is, of course, the state dance of Odisha, Odissi.

Konark Dance Festival!

Konark has a 13th CE temple dedicated to the Sun God built by Narasimhadeva I of the Eastern Ganga Dynasty. The temple is built as a chariot to the Sun God with intricate carvings on each of its stone wheels. It is said that it took 13 long years to create this masterpiece by a staggering number of twelve hundred craftsmen! What we see today is only half the remains of what was seen in the 13th CE. The Nata Mandira or the dance hall stands as it is and has become the venue for the annual Konark Festival.

Konark Dance Festival!

Rabindranath Tagore, on visiting this fabulous stone temple said, "here the language of stone surpasses the language of man." It indeed does even in its ruins. Twelve stone wheels, twelve pillars and seven pairs of horses are part of the temple structure. Every imagined Odissi dance posture, and hundreds of other royal carvings depicting many phases of life can be seen here. The fallen sculptures are collected by the Archeological Survey of India and kept for display at the Konark Archeological Museum.

It is in this beautiful backdrop of the Sun temple on an open-air auditorium that the Konark Dance Festival takes place. It is any classical dancer's dream to perform at this grand event. Hence, Odisha Tourism accepts entries and helps put up Odissi, Bharathnatyam, Manipuri, Kathak and Chau dance performances! By organising a crafts mela alongside, Odisha Tourism has opened the gates for Global travel and tourism. Local cuisine can be savoured as you pick a local handicraft before you sit and marvel at the classical art forms of India.

Konark Dance Festival!

Simultaneously, with the Dance festival, an Internationally renowned Sand and Art Festival takes place. This festival too recieves global participation.

Odisha as a state is one of the speedily growing tourist destinations in India. Konark is located around 35 Km from Puri and 65 km from the capital city of Bhubaneswar. Getting there and transport cannot be a problem. Plan your trip ahead and explore the classical essence of India.

Read more about: festival temples odisha puri konark
Get Instant News Updates
Enable
x
Notification Settings X
Time Settings
Done
Clear Notification X
Do you want to clear all the notifications from your inbox?
Settings X