Odissi dance

Odissi, codified as one of India's eight classical dances by the Sangeet Natak Akademi in 1958, descends from the devadasi mahari tradition of the Jagannath temple at Puri and from the gotipua boy-dancer troupes that performed outside the temple when women's dance was restricted. Its modern reconstruction after Independence was led by Guru Pankaj Charan Das, Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra and Guru Deba Prasad Das, drawing on the Natya Sastra, the Abhinaya Chandrika of Maheswara Mahapatra (16th century) and the sculptural postures of the Konark Sun Temple and the Odisha temple sikhara. The tribhanga three-bend posture, the chauka square stance and the Gita Govinda ashtapadis are its signature elements.