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.
The composition of the Gita Govinda has inspired many classical music traditions. Its living continuity has contributed to the creation of a repertoire of contemporary classical music across every region of India. Its influence can be felt in Gwalior school; Odissi, which incorporates elements from both Hindustani and Carnatic styles; Sopanam in south Kerala, which originated in the temple theatres of Kerala; Carnatic music in south India systematically composed by Tyagaraja, Dikshitar and Shyama Shastri and Radhakalyanam from Tamil Nadu.
The Gita Govinda is also sung as daily offerings in the Puri temple, the Guruvayoor temple and temples of Manipur. Except for one or two, most of the ragas and talas mentioned by Jayadeva are still used in the Odissi music tradition. The original and its derivatives that evolved in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Bengal and Manipur make it evident that the singing of the Gita Govinda was popular in Vishnu temples throughout India.
Even today, in Odisha, it is also sung in Shiva and Shakti temples. The singing styles of bhajans vary. Still, the singing style of the Gita Govinda, corresponding to the dance and dance drama traditions, is peculiar only to Odisha and Manipur.
Eight-hundred years ago, a wandering poet in the eastern parts of India composed a devotional song in Sanskrit about...
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