PAST

JAYADEVA


        The  famous poet Kaviraj Jayadeva Goswami folurished in the  12th
century A.D.   and produced his immortal work Gitagovinda .  Jayadeva was
born at Kenduli  on  the  river  Prachi, a  village  located  under  the
Balianta police station of Puri district.

GOBARDHAN  ACHARYA

        Gobardhanacharya and his brother UDAYNACHARYA were noted Sanskrit
scholars  of the last part of the 12the century.  They are supposed to be
the residents   of   the  area  comprising    the  present   district    of
Puri.Gobardhana  wrote "Aryasaptasati' a Sanskrit poem in 700 stanzas and
Udayan wrote  "Bhabavibhabinitika'  in Sanskrit, the first commentary  on
the "Gita Govinda of Jayadeva.

 SHRIDHARA  SWAMI  of the 14th century was born in the village  of
Maraigaon in the present Nilagiri subdivision of the Balasore district in
Orissa.   For his vast learning and saintly character, he was selected as
Mahanta of  the   Govardhana pitha, a famous Sankarite moastery   at  Puri,
where he   wrote  some  notable  works   chief  amoung  them  being   his
Bhabarthadipika tika on the Bhagabata Purana.  This work is considered to
be the most famous commentary on the Bhagabata.

  JAGANNATH DAS   the famed translator of the Bhagabat into Oriya was
also a great  scholar  and writer in Sanskrit.  His chief Sanskrit   works
are Krushnabhakti   Kalpalata   Upasana   Sataka  ,   Niladri    Sataka   ,
Niyaaguptamala of Nityagupta Chintamani , etc.

 RAYA   RAMANANDA    PATTANAYAK   (16th   century   A.D.)   was   an
administratior  under  Gajapati  Prataparudra Deva, but  later  became  a
disciple  of   Shri  Chaitanya and relinquished his job.  He was  a  great
Sanskrit  scholar and Vaishnava philosopher.His Sanskrit drama Jagannatha
Ballava Nataka  was staged at Puri in which for the first time in  Orissa
he introduced female artists on the stage.

 KANHAI KHUNTIA was a Sevaka of Lord Jagannath and the resident of
Puri town.   He became a disciple of Shri Chaitanya, and is known to have
written a Sanskrit work named Mahabhavaprakas.

JAYADEV  II(16th  century  A.D.) was a poet of repute  who  wrote
Piyusa Lahari  ,  a  one-act play in Sanskrit, which was  staged  in  the
compound of jagannath temple at Puri.

KAVI  CHINTAMANI MISRA lived near the town of Puri in the  middle
of the 16th  century A.D.  He wrote Kadambarisara , Sambararicharita  and
Bangmayaviveka,  a  scholarly work on prosody and dramaturgy  written  in
verse.  He   is  also known to be the author of some other Sanskrit  works
which include Krutyapuspabali a work on Smriti.

BALARAM  DAS  is one of the five famous sain-poets of Orissa  who
flurished  in   the  16th  century A.D., and are popularly  known  as  the
Panchasakhas  or  the  five companions of Chitanya, the  great  Vaishnava
saint and  prophet.  He is the author of many books on religion and Yoga,
namele, Guptagita , Amarkosh Gita , Vendantasara Guptagita , Bata Abakasa
, Bramhanda  Bhugola , Saptanga Yogasara Tika , Bhabasamudra,etc., but is
chiefly remmbered  for his Ramayana, known as Dandi Ramayana of Jagamohan
Ramayanas,  which has reached the humblest cottage in Orissa.  He is also
the author  of a small book named Lakshmi Purana which is very popular in
Orissa.

  JAGANNATH  DAS  is  the  most  celebrated  saint-poet  of  Orissa
belonging  to   the Panchasakha group.  He is held in high esteem for  his
immortal work the Bhagabat , which is a free and mellifluous rendering of
the Sanskrit  Bhagabat into Oriya in simple Oriya metre.  Jagannath Das's
Bhagabat  is very popular in Orissa and is read and workshipped in  every
Oriya household.   Along  with  Balaram  Das's  Ramayana  it  has  deeply
influenced  and   moulded  the national character of  the  Oriya  speaking
people for  generations.  Jagannath Das was great scholar and has written
many books  both  in Sanskrit and Oriya.  Among his other works in  Oriya
mention may  be   made  of Gupta Bhagabat , Darubramha Gita  ,  Gajastuti,
Artha Koili and Tulabhina.

BHAKTA  KAVI SALBEG (17th century A.D.) was the son wife, Lalbeg,
a Mughal  Officer  at Cuttack, and his Oriya Brahmin wife.  Salbeg was  a
great devotee  of  Lord  Jagannath  and   has  composed  many   beautiful
devotional  songs in honour of the Lord Salbeg spent the last part of his
life at Puri where his tomb still exits.

DINAKRUSHNA  DAS of the 17th century is a famous Vaisshnava  poet
of Orissa.   He  is well known for his Rasakallola, a highly lyrical  and
sensuous  Kavya on the Krishna theme.  Heis also the author of some other
works in  Oriya  of  which Artatrana Chautisa deserves  special  mention.
Dinakrushnawas a resident of Puri.


UTKALMANI PANDIT GOPABANDHU DAS (1877-1928)   Pandit Nilakantha Das and Pandit Godavarish Mishra, all  belonging  to  Puri  district, are popularly  known  as  the Satyabadi  group of poets and writers, All of them, at one time or other, were associated  with  the satyabadi school started by Pandit  Gopabandhu Das, the
great patriot and political leader of Orissa.

                                                 
        Besides   his  political  activities,    Pandit   Gopabandhu   Das
(1877-1928)  was  also  a poet and journalist of  repute.   His  'Bandira
Atmakata'  'Kara Kavita'and 'Dgarmapada' written in simple Oriya, breathe
of his deep humanism and parriotic fervour.


PANDIT  NILAKANTHA  DAS (1884-1967) was a  politician,  versatile
scholar, critic and poet.  His major contribution to Oriya poetry are his
works "Konarke'  and  "Mayadevi' , in which he has tried to deviate  from
the prevailing  poetic norm established by the famous poet Radhanath Roy.
His "Dasa  Naik' and "Pranayini' are successful Oriya adaptations of Lord
Tennyson's  "Enoch  Arden' Pandit Nilakantha is also a poerful writer  of
Oriya prose.   His  "Oriya Sahityar Kramaparinam' is a landmark in  Oriya
literary  criticism.   He received the Central Sahitya Akademi Award  for
his autobiography.  'Atma Jivani'. He was also a great Parliamentarian during
the pre and post Independence era of the country.


 PANDIT   GODAVARISH   MISHRA  (1886-1956)   was    a  distingushed politician  and   educationist.He was also alitterateur of repute and  has
made rech  contributions to Oriya poetry,drama,and fiction,He excelled in
the writing  of   Oriya  ballads,taking  for his  theme  local  myths  and
legends.  'Alekhika' a collection of his ballads, is popular.He was given
the Central  Sahitya Akademi Award for his autobiography,Ardha  Satabdira
Orissa O Tahinre mo Sthana'.He is the most popular poet and writer of the
Satyabadi School.


  PANDIT  KRUPASINDHU MISHRA (1887-1926) devoted himself chiefly to
historical  writing.His  outstanding contributions in this field are  his
'Orissa Itihas' 'Konarka' and Barabati.

        Modern  Oriya literature is enriched by many scholars , poets and
writers who  belong  to the district of Puri.  Prominent among   them  and
Kuntala Kumari  Sabat (Her parents and grandparents belonged to  Khurda),
Dibyasingha  Panigrahi,  Padma Charan Pattanayak, Bankanidhi  Pattanayak,
Aparna Devi,  Binayak  Mishra,  Govind   Chandra   Tripathy,   Jagatbandhu
Mohapatra,  Godavaris  Mohapatra, Kulamani Das, Rama  Chandra  Mohapatra,
Chintamani Mishra, Kalindi Charan Panigrahi, Mayadhar Mansinha, Bhagabati
Panigrahi,  Gopal  Chandra Kanangow, Adwaita Chandra Mohanty,  Ramaranjan
Mohanty,Sachidananda   Rautray,  Ananta    Pattanayak,  Kunjabihari   Das,
Rajkishore  Roy, Kenarnath Mohapatra, Sadasiva Ratha Sharma, Rama Chandra
Mishra, Natabar  Samantaray,  Gopal Chandra Mishra, Janakiballav  Mohanty
(Bharadwaj), Upendra Mishra Akhilmohan Pattanayak, Satyananda Champatiray
Smt.Nandini Satapathy and Ramakanta Rath.

       PRESENT

Padma Bhusan Guru Kelu Charan Mohapatra

      Guru Kelu Charan Mahapatra is undoubtedly the most important figure in Odissi dance today and has been the guru at some time of nearly every important Odissi dancer and teacher in India and throughout the world. Born in Raghuraipur, a village in Puri

District of Orissa in 1926, he belongs to a family of Patachitra painters who used to paint patachitras of Lord Jeganath. He started learning Gotipua Nritya and Pakhawaj under the great gurus, Mohan Sundar Deva Gaswami and Pankaj Charan Das at an early age. He performed with a Rasleela troupe before joining the theatre. After Indian independence, he started to work to popularise Gotipua Nritya and the Mahari dance, and has subsequently received many awards for his contribution. He is one of the main architects of the contemporary Odissi repertoire and vocabulary. His creative ability is very evident in his choreography, while it is also informed by his study of ancient scriptures and sculpture in the temples of Orissa. Guru Kelu Charan Mahapatra's attitude towards dance is, in essence, devotional; to him dance is not so much a vocation as it is an expression of life. He was awarded both Padma Shri and Padma Bhusan.