Mahari dance

In the twelfth century, Chodaganga Deva gave the dance a legal status, establishing new localities for the maharis to stay and introduced new ceremonies for the deity.

Its revival and adaptation for stage performances are credited to the late Odissi doyen Guru Pankaj Charan Das.

[1] The Odissi dancer Rupashri Mohapatra, a disciple of Pankaj Das, has also played a notable role in reviving Mahari.

The maharis were given grants of land for their sustenance and they in turn behaved as the deity's spouse, singing and dancing the Gita Govinda of Jayadeva to please him.

[11] In earlier times the maharis enjoyed a place of esteem in society and girls from elite families took it up as a respectable profession.