Sanskrit Treatises on Music in Odisha

Dr.(Mrs) Manjushree Tripathy

Music is the l i fe inspiring force which gives real essence to the

l i fe. It is the solace of human beings. It is the most vibrant source of

revealing the cultural heritage of any nation. However, i t is the

nadayoga , f i l led with purity, sanctity, serenity and spirituality for ever.

Music has rightly been defined in the Natyamanorama as “gitam

vadyam ca nrtyamca trayam sangeetamuchyate (1.14) . Thus, music is

the summation of vocal, instrumental and dance taken together as a

whole. This definit ion is also asserted by all other eminent musical

treatises of India as well as Odisha .

Musical treatises deal with ‘musicology’ i .e. the ‘science of music’

which is concerned with the Sashtric elements that mainly deal with the

different technical terms, definit ions and other all ied components

related to music,

Most of the authoritative works on Indian Music are in Sanskrit.

Different Siksha , Pratishakhya and other Vedic Texts related to

Samagana , the Natyshatra of Bharata, the Bharatarnava of

Nandikesvara, the Brihaddesi of Matanga, the Naradiya Siksa, the

Sangitaratnakara of Sarngadeva, the Ragatarangini of Lochana, the

Svaramelakalanidhi of Ramamatya, the Sadragachandradaya , the

Ragamala , and the Ragamanjari of Pundarika Vitthala, the Ragavibodha

of Somanatha, the Sangitadarpana of Damodara, the

Caturdandiprakashika of Venkata Makhi, the Sangitapari jata of Ahbhola,

the Ragatattvavibodha of Shrinivasa, Sangitasaramrita of Tulajaraja,

are a few from a very long l ist of Sanskrit treatises on Musicology in all

India level.

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Odisha boats of a glorious tradit ion in the field of music. The

portrait of dancers and musicians carved on ancient temple walls depict

volumes regarding th rich musical heritage of Odisha . Situated on the

eastern coast of India; Odisha imbibed the quintessence of cultural

tradit ions of both Northern and Southern India, yet succeeded in

developing a distinct identity of i ts own in the trifold realms of creative

arts l ike the tribal, the folk and the classical art. Thus, the cultural

heritage of Odisha is one of the oldest, embracing a period of about

three thousand years which exemplif ied the unique and commendable

blend of ancient glory.

Sanskrit treatises of Odisha of the past ages have left an in-

delible contribution in the field of drama, dance, music and l i terature.

However, in the present paper the author has focused only on the

Musical Treatises of Odisha those are written in Sanskrit Language.

For this, references are taken mostly from the secondary sources of

information l ike the Department of Culture as well as the Musical

Treaties of Odisha explored from the internet and the primary sources

of information l ike The Natyamanorama, Sangeeta Muktavali, Abhinaya

Chandrika , etc.

These treatises mainly deal with various musical elements of their

respective t imes. The writers of these treatises have tried their best to

focus on the various aspects of music along with various musical forms

those existed during their t ime which ult imately helped in establishing a

l ink up of the musical performances of the ancient system with the

current prevail ing system. The terminology of technical terms l ike nada,

sruti, swara, abhinaya etc. pertaining to music, dance and drama are

described in these treatises. It has been observed that the definit ion of

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these technical terms of music abide the exact definit ion as has been

reflected in the leading Indian musical treatises l ike Natyashastra of

Bharata, Sangeeta Ratnakara of Sarngadev, Swaramelakalanidhi of

Ramamatya, Ragavibodha of Somanatha and others.

The musicologists of Odisha have mentioned 6 Ragas and 36

Raginis . Here the tit le of the ragas along with their dhyana or

descriptive verses regarding their characteristic features are also

different. Most of these treatises follow the Panchamasara Samhita of

Narada. There are some names of the ragas in Odisi music which are

original and unique. They are not found in any other treatises of the

main stream of the musical system i.e. the Hindustani or Carnatic .

However, some ragas are there whose names are not similar but

swaras are similar and vice versa. Yet they have their own charm. The

lyric poets l ike Jayadev and others of Odisha have composed lyrical

poems to be sung in specif ied ragas and talas . The bards of Odisha

also sang religious songs roaming here and there for spiritual

awareness. By 11th Century A.D. folk music of Odisha existing in the

form of Triswari , Chatuhswari and Pancaswari were modified and

transformed into classical style.

Prior to this there was the tradit ion of Chhandas which were

simple in musical outl ine. From 16th century onwards treatises on

Music were written or compiled in Odisha . They were Sangitarnava

Chandrika , Gita Prakasha , Sangita Kalpalata, Natyamanorama, Sangita

Sarani, Sangia Narayana etc. Thus, Odishi music is the classical art

form that has imbibed the elements common to the Hindustani and

Carnatic system of music.

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The ancient talas which are mentioned in old treatises of Odisha

are found to be used even now. In Carnatic music system too one can

find more or less the use of this system of talas . However, these talas

are not found in the Hindustani music system.

Odisi dance is a composite art-form which follows the four fold

divisions of Abhinaya namely : the Angika, Bachika, Aharya and

Sattwika . All these technical aspects of dance are described in detail

in those treatises. The description of the various stages of the

development of dances l ike the Mangalacharana, Batu, Pallabi,

Abhinaya and Moksha , the different forms of dances l ike Gotipua,

Mahari, Odisi along with the various Hasta Mudras l ike Sanjukta and

Asanjukta which are very similar to Natyashastra of Bharata are found

to be described in detail in these treatises.

Though the authors of Odisha are fol lowing the treatises l ike

Natyashastra , Sangeeta Ratnakara , Sangeeta Pari jata, Panchamsara

Samhita etc, one can also f ind some uniqueness in these treatises.

These treaties have been written in Sanskrit language. Most of the

treatises have been preserved in the State Museum. They are found in

the form of palm leaf manuscripts. Most of them are moth eaten,

severely damaged and found in an undeciphered condit ion. However,

some of the important texts relating to musicology of Odisha are as

follows :

1. Gita Prakash (GP)

The Gita Prakash (GP) is a Sanskrit treatise on Indian Music by

Krishnadasa Badajena Mohapatra of Odisha . Literari ly, the term GP

means ‘a work that throws l ight on music’. It deals mainly with music

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concentrating more on vocal music of north-eastern region including

Odisha . The concluding colophons of all the seven chapters bear the

name of the author as Krishnadasa Baadajena Mohapatra (KBM) , who

was an eminent poet, musician and musicologist of 16th Century A.D.

GP has been divided into seven chapters or Ullasa (means ‘ joy’).

The treatise as a whole has been called ‘Pariksa ’ or ‘analysis of Gita ’ .

The subject matter of those seven chapters are as follows.

The first one is the ‘Suddhagitanirnaya ’ which particularly deals

with the characteristics of the ‘pure or high class Gita ’ , i .e.

‘Suddhagita ’ . The writer defines ‘Gita ’ as ‘Rajakah swarasandarbho

gitam ’ i .e, a chaming composit ion of pleasing notes which is also

ascertained by the definit ion made by Sarngadeva in his ‘Sangita

Ratnakara ’ on 13th century A.D. Thus, the author’s idea of a Gita

seems to be a happy blending of f ine poetry with sweet sounding words

and colourful composit ion.

He states two types of Gita namely; Anibaddha and Nibaddha .

Gita , set in tala is ‘nibaddha ’ and without tala is ‘anibaddha’. The

nibaddha gitas are of three types such as : suddha, chayalaga and

ksudra . The suddhagita is furnished with dhatus , angas and alapa .

Vakya, swara, pata and tenaka are the four angas of a prabandha .

However, the writer has not focused on the varieties of Prabandha , sti l l

then he has given reference of two types of Prabandhas such as

matrika and swarartha . Lastly, the chapter ends with the description of

two angas . However, the vakya anga is used only in Suda Prabandha .

The second chapter is ‘Salaganirnaya ’ which deals with the

Chhayalaga , Salaga Gita or Salagasuda Gita . The ancient authors of

Odisha recommended the use of nine talas in suddhaprabandha .

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However, Krishnadasa adds one more tala i.e. Simhanada along with

the elaboration of t ime measure with its technical aspects, their

constituents l ike Virama , Druta, Laghu, Guru, Pluta etc. It is stated

that a composit ion should begin with Aditala and be closed with Ekatali ,

the middle order being left to the composer’s pleasure. He himself

composed songs in Sanskrit language.

The third chapter is known as ‘Ksudragitanirnaya ’ for i t deals with

Ksudragita i .e. songs of small variety which actually is a composit ion

possessing the characteristics of ‘salaga-suda gita ’ . These gitas

contain dhatus and talas . Ksudragitas are of four types such as –

Chitrapada, Citrakala, Dhrubapada and Pancali. Chitrapada is a type of

Ksudragita where variations in the use of words with verbal sweetness

i.e. srutimadhurata is very signif icant. In the Chitrakala , the Dhruba

consists of less number of matras than the other stanzas which

constitute equal metrical length. The number of stanzas in a Chitrakala

type of song may be from three to eight. In dhrubapada , we find only

two stanzas l ike dhruba and abhoga . However, in panchali we find an

extensive number of stanzas. It is of two types, namely sadhruba and

adhruba .

The fourth chapter is ‘Gunarirnaya ’ . ‘The qualit ies of gitas ’ i .e.

‘gitagunas ’ are discussed in this chapter which consists of a) the use of

different types of gamakas , b) variation of the laya (tempo), yati

(pause), and time measure, c) simplicity of the verbal structure, d)

elaboration of the ragas in which the gitas are set, e) the tena is to be

performed only after pata and swara . Moreover, i t is stated that the

accessories l ike guna, alamkara and rasa in vakya are helpful for the

composit ion of successful gita . It also deals with the technical aspects

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of gita . Lastly, i t concludes the chapter focusing on the actual

performance.

The fifth chapter is ‘ raganirnaya ’ which focuses on the definit ion

and description of the ragas . Likewise ‘swaranirnaya ’ is the sixth

chapter of this treatise which deals with the technical terms l ike jati,

swara, grama and sruti . Lastly, the concluding chapter (i.e. seventh)

deals with the flaws and demerits i.e. dosas found in the verbal

structure of the composit ion of the Gita as well as in its performance.

2. Sangitakalpalatika or Sangitakalpalata (SK)

SK is a Sanskrit treatise of 18th Century A.D. written by

Haladhara Mishra (HM)* , the famous Odishan writer whose work is

found in the Odisha State Museum in the form of ancient palm leaf

manuscript, which focuses signif icant insight on Indian music. It covers

the entire f ield of Sangita i .e. gita, vadya and nrtya . It consists of 18

chapters or ‘stavakas ’ out of which seven stavakas are devoted to Gita ,

ten to nrtya and one to vadya . Thus this treatise gives more

importance to nrtya than gita and vadya .

----------------------------------------------------------------* Haladhara Mishra was the son of Dinakara and Padmavati and

was the grand son of Sambhukara Mishra, the famous expert of Dharmasastra. Sangeeta Kalpalatika and Basant Utsava Mahakavyam are two important Sanskrit works of Haladhara Mishra to Odisha.

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Alike GP , the f irst chapter of SK deals with the definit ion of

Sangita , the divisions l ike nibaddha and anibaddha , the varieties l ike

Suddha, Chhayalaga, Ksudra and three dhatus.** Accordingly to HM,

the Suddhagita is comprised of alapa, dhatua,matu and anga . The

alapa should have meaningful words. He has given examples of self-

composed prabandhas set in nine talas .

The writer of SK has given the description of Suddha Prabandhas

l ike Chhayalaga or Salaga with examples. Alike GP , this chapter

focuses on tala , i ts definit ion and enumeration of hundred and one

talas along with nine suddhatalas .

The third chapter of SK deals with Ksudragitas , their four-fold

varieties (l ike Chitrapada, Chitrakala, Dhrubapada and Pancali) with

examples. However, they have no fixed talas . The speciality prevalent

in Odishi music are traceable in these Ksudragitas .

The fourth chapter describes the gitagunas (qualit ies of a good

gita), laya, yati, graham,mana, gamaka, tana, ragas, angas of

prabandha l ike swara, pata, tena etc. The fifth chapter deals with the

demerits (dosas) of both (Desi and Margi) songs. Sixth chapter deals

with ragas , their names and time of singing. He follows the ragaragini

system for the classif ication of the ragas . He has mentioned six ragas

with thirty six raginis along with their t i t les and descriptive verses (i.e.

dhyanas). There are also names of many unusual raginis l ike

prapacani, gunamanjari, lal i ta, gundakeri, suracika, kadhu, cinta etc.

The seventh chapter deals with the technical terms of gita l ike

sruti, swara, grama, murchhana, tana, tr isaptaka, ragas etc. The

----------------------------------------------

** Melapaka (dhatu) is not mentioned.

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eighth chapter is entit led as ‘Vadyanirupanam ’ which deals with the

vadyas i .e. instruments. The author of SK mentioned four types of

instruments namely tata, abanaddha, susira and Ghana . The author

has given the description of the vina vividly. In order to f ix up the

swara of a raga in the rudravina he has given the reference of

murchhana . He used the term ‘samsthana ’ in the sense of ‘mela ’ .

The art of dancing (nrtya) is very vividly discussed from ninth to

sixteenth chapters. The general aspects of nrtya l ike hastas, charis,

sthanakas, sirabhedas, drstibhedas are discussed in the ninth chapter.

Chapter ten focused elaborately on twentyfour kinds of asamjukta

hastamudras and thirteen kinds of sanjukta hastamudras . Chapter

eleven discussed about the different head movements i.e. sirabhedas

for the expression of different bhavas which are mostly required for

abhinaya . Chapter twelve deals with the eye movements ( drstibhedasI)

based on rasas . Thirteenth chapter deals with the movement of the

eyebrows. Chapter fourteenth deals with the sthanakas and the body

movements. Fifteenth chapter describes the charis . Chapter sixteenth

discusses the different Karanas . Chapter seventeenth focuses on

different types of arts (Kalas). In chapter eighteenth the writer

describes the suddha paddhati of presenting a dance performance,

starting from the entry to the stage ti l l the exit, along with the different

accompanying music with different stages of dance performances.

3. Sangita Narayan (SN)

SN is a Sanskrit treatise on music and dance written in 18th

Century. It is ascribed to Gajapati Narayan Deva , the king of

Paralakhemundi, Odisha who ruled from 1718 to 1767. From the

colophons at the end of every chapter his l ineage is known as

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Chodaganga Vansa and he is said to be the son of king Padmanabha .

The work is divided in to 4 chapters known as Parichhedas . The first

chapter ‘gita prakarana’ is extensive and contains many musical

subjects together. The author quotes extensively from the Vishnu

Purana, Narada Samhita, Kohaliyam, Sangita Sara, Sangita Damodara .

The author begins with an invocation to the pioneer of dance, music

and instruments – Lord Hari . This chapter has five hundred and forty

six slokas . It deals with the technicalit ies of Indian Music such as

Nada, Swara, Grama,Murchhana, Raga and Raginis . The first seventy

seven slokas describe Ahata Nada and Anahatanada, Swaras, their

origin, birth place, colour and l ineage. He has also given the names of

their deit ies. The author has described the 22 srutis with their names.

These names are similar to those in Sangeeta Makaranda,

Panchamasara Samhita, Geeta Prakash, Sangeeta Kaumudi etc.

Gramas, Murchanas, Tanas etc. are also defined. He describes 62

Alamkaras with the 4 Varnas . From the seventy eighth sloka the Jati

Laksanas are described. But the author mentions only Graha, Ansa and

Nyasa and elaborates the eighteen Jatis i .e. seven shuddha and eleven

vikrita Jatis with their names and other descriptions. From the ninety

ninth sloka the term ‘Raga ’ is defined and male and female Ragas are

named following Sangeet Damodara. Six Ragas and thirty six Raginis

are described and their meditating verses are also given. The time

theories of Ragas are given according to Panchamasara Samhita .

In the same chapter Prabandhas are also dealt with. He

mentions Suddha Salaga and Sudha Sankirna Prabandha . Six Angas

and four Dhatus are mentioned.

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The Tala with its definit ion and 10 Pranas are also explained. 108

Desi Talas and 9 Suddha Talas have been mentioned. This is also

found in Carnatic tala system.

The unique feature of the works written by authors of Odisha is

the description of Ksudra Gita which are available in 3 fold manner.

Such as Divya, Manushi and Divya-Manushi. Divya is a Ksudra Gita

which is set in Margi Tala and Sanskrit Language is used in the verbal

structure. Manushi is sung in Prakrit language and is set in Desi Talas.

Divya Manushi is a mixture of both. The Gamaka , the merits and

demerits of music, musicians and master composers are also discussed

in the 1st Chapter.

The Second Chapter : The 2nd Chapter, ‘Vadya Prakarana ’ is

devoted to the various instruments, different kinds of drums and their

construction techniques. This is a small one consisting of one hundred

thirtyone (131) slokas . In this chapter 4 main types of instruments

(tata, vitata, Ghana & susira ) are described.

The Third Chapter : is the longest chapter containing eight

hundred twenty eight slokas . This chapter ‘natya prakarana ’ is devoted

mainly to dramaturgy, dance and description of the auditorium,

stagecraft & subjects related to performance of dance and drama. It

begins with the definit ions of Nritta, Nritya, Nartana and Natya . The

king and the court, courtiers, scholars and artists are described. The

participants, heroes and heroines are also included in the description.

The special feature of this work is the description of cosmetics and

make-up materials l ike moustaches, dresses and the method of making

them. Then comes the language to be used and specif ic terms and

address to king, Brahmin, Danava , etc. In short, al l the forms of

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dialogue, metre and expressions related to drama are explained. The

comprehensive description of topics related to dramaturgy ends with

the scenes to be avoided while performing a drama and proper t ime for

holding the show. From sloka number two hundred fifty f ive to the end

of the chapter discuss the dance, the various postures of body,

movements of hands, waist, eyes, eyebrows, legs, feet, sthanakas, etc.

They are similar in descriptions as in Natyashastra and Sangeet

Damodara .

The Fourth Chapter : contains i l lustration of various Sanskrit

songs set in different Talas and Ragas . This is the chapter entit led

suddhaprabandhodharana .

This book is f irst published by Odisha Sangita Nataka Academy in

1966 under the joint editorship of Pandita Banambaracharya,

Kalicharana Patnaik and Kedarnath Mohapatra. In national level also,

this has been edited and translated by Mandakranta Bose in two

volumes, published by Moti lal Banarasidass, Delhi. It was also been

edited by Janothan Katz of Oxford in 1987 which has not been

published.

4) Natyamanorama & Sangeetarnava Chandrika

The Natyamanorama is a treatise on the science of music based

on a palm-left manuscript preserved in the Odisha State Museum,

Bhubaneswar. It is known from the concluding verses of the last

chapter (PP.71-72) that the author, Raghunath Ratha , composed the

Natya Manorama under the patronage of King Nilakantha of Kerala.

Raghunatha further states that he was a contemporary of

Gajapati Divyasimha (King of Odisha – 1693 – 1720 A.D. which is

evident from the last stanza of the last chapter.

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In the last quatrain of the 1st of the slokas at page 72, the

Natyamanorama has been described as “Sangitarnava

Candrikantargata“ i.e. i t is based on or rather included in “Sangitarnava

Candrika“, which Raghunatha had completed before he composed the

Natyamanorama . This is corroborated by a similar statement found in

the “Curnika“ (P.1) in which the author introduces himself to his

readers.

The Natyamanorama may therefore, be taken to be a compendium

of “Sangitarnava Candrika“, either in respect of some portions dealing

in detail with the topics discussed in the present text or of the whole

work.

Raghunatha has not mentioned anything about the place of his

birth but apparently, he belonged to Odisha because he has used

‘Anka ’ or the year of reign of the then King of Odisha .

Further, he has referred to authors of works of Odisha such as

Raya Ramananda , Harinayak, the author of Sangitasara,

Mammatacarya, the author of Ratnamala, Krishna Das , the author of

Gitaprakash and the court poet of Mukunda Deva , King of Odisha) and

Purusottama Mishra (the Minister in the Court of Narayana Deva, the

king of Paralakimdi).

However, i t is not known how he received the patronage of the

King of Kerala . May be the King of Kerala would have favoured him for

his learning or he might have motivated the King of Kerala with his

learning while the king has come to Puri on pilgrimage whatever may it

be, the author of the treatise has made a commendable contribution to

the l i terature on music in India.

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Whatever, thanks should be give to Shri Kedarnatha Mohapatra ,

Curator of the Orissa State Museum who acquired a manuscript of the

“Natyamanorama” in 1952 from Puri and also to Shri Prananatha

Mahanty , M.A., I.A.S, Secretary to the Government of Orissa,

Education Department, who brought it to l ight a couple of years ago.

Thus, this treatise is very helpful for all music lovers in general and of

Sanskrit Studies, in particular for the attempt of the Odisha Sahitya

Akademi for i ts publication – under the patronage of Dr.H.K.Mahtab ,

the then Chief Minister of Odisha .

The text is divided in to f ive chapters or Padas . In the 1st

chapter after the benediction to Lord Krishna, Raghunatha has given

the justif ication for the composit ion of this treatise in a ‘churnaka’ .

Then immediately he has started defining ‘Sangeeta ’ as the art of ‘Gita,

Vadya and Nrtya ’ to be taken together with the two-fold varieties of

‘Gita ’ i .e. ‘nibadha ’ and ‘anibaddha ’ . He also has tried to define the

various technical terms associated with ‘Sangita ’ l ike the ‘nada, swara,

saptaka, Gita, sruti, Grama (Sadaja-madhyama-gandhara), twentyone

murchhanas (3 gramas x 7 swaras), tana, jati etc. He has also tried to

justify the origin and manifestation of the ‘swaras ’ and how these seven

‘swaras ’ are related with seven letters, seven ‘Chhandas (anustupadi),

‘Kulas’, ‘devatas’, ‘birds and animals (mayuradi)’, ‘Vedas’, ‘Veda

sakhas’, ‘Varnas (Brahmanadi)’, ‘dvipas (Jambwadi)’, ‘desas

(Kanyakubjadi)’, ‘seven lokas (bhuradi)’, ‘seven days (rabyadi)’,

‘Vadyas (tatadi)’ along with their practical uses.

The second chapter devotes to ragas , their dhyanas , lakshanas

and time of singing. 16,000 ragas are found to be mentioned. Out of

these ragas only 36 female raginis and 6 male ragas were prevalent in

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those days. In the same chapter he dealt with the threefold variety of

‘Gitas ’ such as : ‘suddha, chhayalaga and Ksudra ’ . He also mentioned

the ‘Prabandhas ’ along with their ‘dhatus, angas, jatis ’ and different

varieties l ike ‘matruka prabandha ’ with two-fold decisions (i.e. Divya

and Manusi), Sakayabala Prabandha, Talarnava Prabandha, Simhali la

Prabandha and Suda Prabandha.

Then in the third chapter he explained Chhayalaga Suda

Prabandha with its all ied elements. He also defined the tala , f ive

different talangas, matras, laya, druta, anudruta, laghu, guru, yati,

makaradyastaganah, sasabda, nisabda etc. He narrated different talas

such as : Adi, Yati, Suddhayati, Nihsara, Masruka (misra), Jhampaka

(Jhampa), Rupaka, Triputa, Adu, Ekatali, Kudka, Sashipriya,

Chatustala, Nalakubara, Vadyakakula, Simhanandana .

In the 4th Chapter he explained about the Ksudra Gita . They are

found in four varieties such as : Chitrapada, Chitrakala, Dhruvapada

and Pancali . He discussed about the divine music (divya sangita) and

the wordly music (manushi sangita). He also discussed about the Gita

gunas i .e. the qualit ies of good Gita . He again discussed about the

different grahas i .e. the catchment point of a song and their varieties

l ike ‘samagraha ’ , ‘atitagraha ’ . He discussed about other important

elements l ike laya, yati, mana, gamaka, dhatu and other things l ike the

elements required for beautifying a raga , Sanskrit and prakrit songs,

the disqualif ication of a singer, the qualit ies of a good singer, etc.

Lastly, in the 5th chapter he discussed about the vadya and four-

fold vadya prakaras namely tata , anaddha, susira and Ghana . He

mentioned the different types of vinas such as alavani, brahmaveena,

kinnari, laghukinnari, bipanchi, vallaki, jyestha, chita, Ghasavati, Jaya,

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Hastika, Kubjika, Kurma, Sarangi, Paribadini, Trisari, Sarngatantri,

Nakulausya, Chatuhsari, Audumbari, Pinaki, Nibaddhah, Puskala,

Gadabarana, Hasta, Rudra, Swaramandala, Kapilasa, Madhusyandi,

Ghosa. He narrated about the Rudraveena in detail. Apart from these

he discussed about the definit ion, necessity, importance, types,

divisions and subdivisions of Nrtya .

In the same chapter he explained the ‘Tandava Nrtya ’ with its

two-fold, varieties ‘Prerani ’ and ‘Bahurupa ’ . He also explained the

‘Lasya Nrtya ’ with its two-fold varieties. ‘Sphurita and Yauvata ’ . He

elucidated the different variety of folk dances l ike ‘ Kasthi ’ (stick

dance), ‘Jakadi ’ (group dance), Savari (Savara dance), Kurangi (group

dance of ladies) and Mattavali . He elaborated the Sabha (stage),

Sabhasadas (audience), the qualit ies of a dance, the rules for

jarjarapuja , the rules of Jabanika (screen), decoration of a dancer,

masi, haritala, costumes (besas), garlands (malyas), ornaments

(alamkaras), the language of natya , bharatyadi vrtt ’s of natya in

accordance with Bharata. He also explained different varieties of nrtya

(nrtya prakarah), unacceptable elements of nrtya , acceptable elements

of nrtya l ike sirabhedas (head movements), hastabhedas (hand

movements), caris, abhinaya, rasa, nandi, etc.

5) Abhinaya Chandrika (AC)

Abhinaya Chandrika (AC) is an ancient Indian treatise on Odisi

Dance . It deals with the mudras and techniques of Odisi Dance form.

It was written by Maheswar Mohapatra under the royal patronage of

Sriman Narayan Deva of Khemundi Kingdom in 18th Century A.D. This

text contains 284 verses. The first two verses are in praise of

Ganapati and Lord Jagannath . Til l the 18th verse, the author gives an

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account of Nrtya Prasansa (the praise of dance) and then he describes

the origin of Odisi dance . The author has vividly described the

Padamudras (various forms of the feet) of the Odisi dance . According

to him there are four basic posit ions of the feet such as Stambha Pada

(Samapada), Kumbhapada (ayatamandalapada), Dhanupada and

Mahapada . Then he has enumerated Sama, Bisama, Ghatita

(Udghatita), Suchi and Agratala Sanchara . The author of Abhinaya

Chandrika has described only sixteen mudras with different names. He

has described twenty eight Hasta Mudras . He has given a detail

description of the ‘Bandhas ’ (acrobatic poses) of ‘Bandh Nrtya ’ . Other

things which find mention in the text are ‘Sapta Tandava of Lord Siva ’ ,

dances of different regions, folk dances of Odisha , ‘Bhumis’, ‘Charis’,

‘Karakshetras’, ‘Mukharagas’ etc.

This text is most signif icant among the ancient treatises on the

performing arts as it gives a detailed description of Tala, costume,

ornaments and make up in Odisi dance. In fact, the costume mentioned

in the Abhinaya Chandrika is fol lowed by the Maharis or the Devadasis

of the Jagannath Temple . The ornaments described in the Abhinaya

Chandrika are all tradit ional and most of them are represented in the

temple sculpture of Odisha . The ornaments of the Maharis of today

bear the influence of the south.

The verses in the famous treatise of Abhinaya Chandrika say that

Lord Siva taught the ancient art of dancing to his son Lord Ganesh and

Ganesh to Rambha, the gem among the Apsaras who in turn taught it

to the sage Bharata Muni . After Bharata Muni the tradit ion was carried

on in turn by Gargacharya, Bikatacharya, Kumaracharya, Ranti Deva

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and finally Attahasa . In the book Attahasa has been described as Ordra

Nrtya Visarada , the grand master of Odisi dance.

The Abhinaya Chandrika is one of the earl iest and most authentic

treatises on Odisi which dance. According to the scholars, the Odisi

dance of today have highly been obliged for this text.

6) Abhinaya Darpana Prakash (ADP) - ADP is an important treatise

of Odisi , has discussed in detail about the technical styles of the dance

as a whole. Jadunatha Singha is the author of Abhinaya Darpana

Prakash . The author refers to Bharata many times but he does not

quote from Natyashastra or any other text. In every description he

shows marks of peculiarity. He begins with invocation to Goddess

Saraswati, Lord Siva and Lord Ganesha and goes on describing Gita

(songs), Vadya (musical instruments) and Nrtya (dance), Natya Vritt is,

Natya, Nrtta and Nrtya (Lasya and Tandava). Then detailed

descriptions of four varieties of Tandava dances (Nari Nrtya, Jankadi,

Madhumatta and Bandha Natya), six varieties of Lasya dances (Rasa,

Vilasa, Hall isaka, Bhramari, Prerani and Halapayana) and three

varieties of dances performed together both by males and females such

as Kairata, Bahurupa and Chitra Nrtya are also found in the book.

Other details discussed in the text are Sthanaka (8 varieties),

Abhinaya (4 varieties), Anga and Upanga, Hastaka (28 Asamyuta

hastas with viniyogas), Mastaka Bheda (10 varieties) Sira Lakshana (9

and then 5 varieties), Drstiveda (8 and then 7 varieties), Hastaprana

(12 varieties), Hasta prasara (10 varieties), Hasta byapara (8

varieties), Nrtya Prasara (12 varieties), Tala (10 varieties) and Laya (3

varieties). The Odiya translation includes few more terms such as :

Natyotpati, Nartakilaksana, Nartaka Laksana, Panca Devata Stuti , etc.

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In this regard, the author has followed Sarngadeva’s Sangita Ratnakara

to a great extent.

In addit ion to these details, the author of ADP also discusses

about the different Mudras . He discusses 17 asamyuta hastas . While

discussing these techniques, the author points out that Banahasta is

the oldest of the lot. The work is remarkable in its elaboration and in

the direction of the movement of different mudras to indicate their

meanings.

This treatise on Odisi has not been published yet. It exists in a

palm-leaf manuscript t i l l this date. ADP with its exclusive details on the

techniques of Odisi ranks as one of the f inest treatise on this classical

form of dance.

7) Tala Sarvasara Samgraha : was written by Shri Padmanava

Narayan Deva in 1896 A.D. The writer mentions that at the t ime of Lord

Siva’s Tandava Nrtya seven Talas , namely, Dhruva, Matha, Rupaka,

Jhampa, Triputa, Adatali, originates. In this text, there is description of

ten Pranas of Tala , six Jatis, seven Talas, Laya, Anga etc. It also

discusses the history of the origin of Tala . He has given the names

and characteristics of 110 Talas , which are based on Sastras .

Some of the original Talas used in Odisi music include Kuduk,

Triputa and Sariman Talas . The Kuduk is mainly used in the Dhrubapad

style of singing. So this tala is called dhruba padangatala . The

Sariman Tala is very old and is tradit ional Tala of Odisi music.

8. Sangeeta Muktavali (SM) is a small Sanskrit treatise on music

and dance written by Harichandan, the son of Gopinath Bhanja, the

king of Kanika on 1690 A.D. It contains four chapters (granthas).

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The first chapter of SM describes the technical terms of the vocal

music. He gives the definit ion of nada, swara, graha, sruti, grama,

murchhana, tana, varna, alamkara, jati etc.

The second chapter deals with the definit ion of gita, dhatu, matu,

raga, six ragas with thirty six raginis, divisions and names of ragas with

regard to gender and place. He referred Mammatacarya and Sangeeta

Kaumudi (sangita muktavali ; p.47&48) for this purpose. He gives the

names and definit ion of the Sampurna ragas . Chapter three deals with

the Sadava and audava ragas , their definit ion and svarupa .

He also enumerates the sankirna ragas with their definit ion and

time of singing. He has described the ganas, laghu, guru, tala . The

enumeration of naba talas l ike adi, jati, nisaru, adda, tr iputa, rupaka,

jhampaka, mantha and ektali along with hundred and one talas l ike

cancatputa etc. focuses the rhythmic knowledge of the author.

The last chapter focuses on gita, nibaddhagita, suddhagita,

alapa, dhatu, prabandha, prabandhajati, gitabhedas l ike suddha,

chhayalaga, ksudra, pancali, gita gunas, divyadibhedas of gita,

grahalaksana, khanda, yati, mana, demirts of gita, anibaddha gita,

gayaka gunas, gayaka dosas, vadyalaksana and nrtya prakarana .

Thus, we find those aforesaid Sanskrit treatises have highlighted

on musicology having comparative and contemporary relevance with

the Indian Musical System both in Hindustani and carnatic . Apart from

these, other texts l ike Sangita Darpana, Sangitarnava Candrika of

Raghunath Rath, Sangita Kaumudi, Sangita Ratna of Narayan Brahma,

Sangita Kamoda by Damodara Acharya, Talasamgraha of Kabiratna

Purusottam Mishra, Sangita Sarani, Sangita Chandra of Vipradasa,

Sangita Sastra, Tala Nirnaya, Gita-Vadya-Tala Nirupana, Vadya

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Nirupana, Mrdanga Vadya, Nrtya Sarvasva, Nartana Nirnaya, Nrtya

Bilasa, Nrtya Sagar are worth mentioning for their commendable

contribution towards musicology along with special reference to the

origin and development of Odisi dance and music.

However, the common in all these treatises are the emphasis on

‘Ksudragitas ’ which give a fundamental and sound base to ‘Odisi ’ music

system which ult imately develop into four-fold portals l ike Citrapada,

Citrakala, Dhrubapada and Pancali . Second common aspect is the

recognit ion of ‘Odra Magadhi style’ by almost all the aforesaid

treatises, which has already been recommended by Bharata Muni in his

Natyasastra in 2nd-4th century basing on which the Odisi system of

music developed.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Badajena Mohapatra Krishnadasa, “Gita Prakash”; Mishra Haladhara, “Sangitakalpalata” ; Ratha Raghunath, “Batyamanorama” as available on www.orissaculture.gov.in/dance.asp, last visited on 09/-1/2011.

Badajena Mohapatra Krishnadasa, “Gita Prakash”; Deva Narayan, “Sangita Narayan”; Mohapatra Maheswara,”Abhinaya Chandrika”; Ratha Raghunath, “Natyamanorama” as available on www.indianetzone.com/51treatises-on-arts-orissa.htm, last visited on 12/02/2012

Ratha Raghunath, “Sangeetarnava Chandrika” ; Badajena Mohapatra Krishnadasa, “Gita Prakash”; Mishra Haladhara, “Sangita- kalpalata”; Ratha Raghunath; “Natyamanorama” as available on www.orissatourism.org/orissa-dance-and-music/index.htm, last visited on 12/02/2012.

Ratha Raghunath, “Sangeetarnava Chandrika”; Badajena Mohapatra Krishnadasa, “Gita Prakash”; Mishra Haladhara, “Sangitakalpalata”; Ratha Raghunath, “Natyamanorama” as available on www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arts of Orissa, last visited on 12.02.2012.

Ratha Raghunath, “Sangeetarnava Chandrika” & “Natyamanorama” as available on www.bharatonline.com/orissa/culture/music. html, last visited on 12/02/12.

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Badajena Mohapatra Krishnadasa, “Gita Prakash”; Harichandan, “Sangita Narayan”; Mishra Haladhara; “Sangita Narayan”; Mishra Haladhara; “Sangita Kalpalata” as available on www. Chandrakantha.com/misra/odissi.html, last visited on 12.02.12.

Mohapatra Maheswara, “Abhinaya Chandraka” as available on http:// www.indianetzone.com/45/abhinaya chandrika, last visited on 19.01.11.

Singh Jadunatha, “Abhinaya Darpana Prakash ” as available on http:// www.indianetzone.com/45/abhinaya-darpanaprakash.htm, last visited on 19.01.2011.

Deva Narayan Padmanava, “Tala Sarvasara Samgraha ” as available on http://www.indianetzone.com/51/tala-system-odissi-music. .htm, last visited on 20.01.2011.

Harichandan, “Sangita Muktavali ,” translated and edited by Acharya Banambara, published by Utkal University, Vani Vihar, 1955.

Ratha Rathunath, “Natyamanorama”, published by Odisha Sahitya Academy, 1959.

--------------------------------------------------------Reader & Head, Department of Sanskrit,

Ravenshaw University, Cuttack – 753003 Email-manjushreetripathy@yahoo.co.in

M: 7894929644

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