Bhubaneswar, Nov. 25: The annual beach festival today began in Puri amid cultural performances and adventurous water sporting events.

The event began with a vedpath (chanting of vedic hymns), sankhadhwani (blowing of conch) and a display of fireworks. The festival that entered into its 21st year will witness artistes from across the country performing during the three-day fest.

The cultural evening began with a performance by Mahari dancer Rupashree Mahapatra and her team. Her Odissi recital narrated the relationship between Lord Jagannath and his disciple.

"Mahari originated in the Jagannath temple in Puri as a ritual dance for the deities. This temple dance laid the foundation of the classical dance form of Odissi. In the holy town, it is a matter of pride for us to perform the dance form," said Rupashree, who had learnt Mahari from Sashimani Devi, who died recently and was the last devdasi of the temple.

A series of other performances followed the Mahari recital wherein artistes from Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra's Odissi school Srjan and Kathak dancers of Arpana Rao and troupe from Mumbai impressed the audience. A number of folk dance forms were also staged. Melody troupes enthralled the audience with chartbuster songs from Bollywood.

"With the scenic beach in the backdrop, the performances were extremely blissful," said Oliver Radcliffe, a tourist from the US.

Apart from cultural activities, a number of beach and adventure sports such as beach karate, beach kabadi, volleyball, malkhamb, judo, para sailing will be held at the festival.