Natyasutra Online

Influence in Dance

In Odisha, the performance of the Gita Govinda is of paramount importance. It established itself as a devotional song suitable to be presented in the daily rituals of Lord Sri Jagannath in Puri by the 13th century. It was rendered by Brahmin Sebayats and female Devadasis known as "Bhitara Geyeni" and "Samprada". Some Mahari community members performed the dance near the inner threshold known as 'Kalahaat Dwara'. This has been going on without any interruption for 200 years. The performance of the Gita Govinda and Mahari Dance influenced other temples to start such a tradition. Temples across Odisha patronised this process, which is well-documented in Bhubaneswar, Kakatpur and Jajpur.

Jayadeva’s poem has influenced classical Manipuri dance as well, with the legendary Maisnam Amubi Singh, composing many classical solo dances based on the Gita Govinda. He was a member of the first batch of Sangeet Natak Akademi Award winners in 1956. An interesting connection exists between the Gita Govinda and Kerala. When it first reached Kerala, it began to be referred to as Ashtapadi – the poem of eight padas or couplets – and theatrical performances based on it were called Ashtapadi Attam. From Ashtapadi Attam developed one of Kerala’s most important dance dramas, the Krishnanattam. Attributed to Manaveda, the Zamorin of Calicut, Krishnanattam presents the life story of Krishna in a sequence of eight plays.