Students rehearse sabda nrutya to perform during Dhanu yatra. Telegraph picture

Sambalpur, Jan. 1: The Sabda nrutya of Kumbhari in Bargarh district and Chausathi Jogini temple of Ranipur Jharial in Balangir district will be highlighted in the Dhanu yatra this year.

The festival of Bargarh is scheduled to begin on January 6.

The ancient Chausathi Jogini temple of Ranipur Jharial will be showcased through the Sabda nrutya, which is said to be a crude form of Odissi dance.

Sixty-five girls of Vikash School of Bargarh will simultaneously perform on the stage to showcase the Chausathi Yogini temple symbolically.

The dance will be performed on the second day of the Dhanu yatra festival, which is believed to be the largest open-air theatre in the world.

The students have started preparing for the mass performance during the Dhanu yatra festival.

“Chausathi Jogini temple is a tantric site. There are only a handful of Chausathi Yogini temples in India. The temple in Ranipur Jharial is one among them. However, it is has been lying neglected since long. Very few people know about the temple. We are trying to bring this ancient temple of west Odisha to the notice of the people through the ancient dance form Sabda nrutya,” said Surendra Hota, convener of campaign committee of Dhanu yatra.

“Similarly, the Sabda nrutya, which is the crude form Odissi dance, is also on the verge of extinction now. The Sabda nrutya’ exists in the Bargarh district only. Our objective is to promote the dance,” said Hota.

“Thousands of people come to Bargarh during the Dhanu yatra festival. The performance to showcase the temple through Sabda nrutya will definitely attract viewers. Moreover, the Sabda nrutya of Bargarh district will also get some recognition. It will help in promoting the dance,” added Hota.

Apart from this Sabda nrutya, the audience will avail the opportunity to view performances of several state and national-level cultural teams during the Dhanu yatra festival. Moreover, a cultural team from Russia will also perform here in Bargarh during the festival.

“A cultural team will perform the traditional Russian dance during the Dhanu yatra, which will conclude on January 16. The 10 member Russian team will reach here in Bargarh on January 4,” said Hota.

“It is a really a good initiative. The Sabda nrutya is being given the preference in the Dhanu yatra festival. Because of lack of proper encouragement from the government, the Sabda nrutya is on the verge of extinction now. The step of the Dhanu yatra committee to give preference to the ancient dance form will encourage the local artistes,” said a student of Panchayat college of Bargarh, Manisha Mohapatra.