Bhawanipatna: Samparda, a religious folk performing art, stole the show at the first day of the Kalahandi Lok Kala Mahotsav, a festival organised by the district administration here on Saturday.

Samparda, an endangered performing art of rural Odisha, was presented by Adhamunda Sankirtan Mandali of Kalahandi district.

Artistes displayed their expertise in the group performance involving chanting. The folk art form is a genre of religious performance that developed during Bhakti period.

The other performances in the evening, included Sambalpuri, Banabadi, Dhaap, Salap, Ghumura, Bajasaal, and Paala. Twenty-seven groups of artistes from 10 blocks of Kalahandi district took part on the first day of the festival.

Minister Niranjan Pujhari inaugurated the event on the Rendo Majhi stage at the Lal Bahadur stadium here.

Addressing art lovers of Kalahandi, Pujhari said that the main purpose of organising such event was to bring to fore hidden talents which languish without recognition. "There are people among us who are great artistes. They go unnoticed as they don't get opportunities to exhibit their potential. Festivals like these entirely focus on people who come from ordinary background. They will a platform to exhibit their skill," Pujhai said.

The minister also said that due to lack of encouragement and patronage many folk art forms were on the verge of extinction. "Many art forms in rural Odisha are endangered now," Pujhari said.

District collector of Kalahandi, Anjan Kumar Manik, who is also the president of the district council of culture, said the festival helped people to understand the culture and tradition.

Earlier in the morning, artists, organisers and local residents took out a huge cultural rally that started from Manikeswari temple and covered all major areas of the town.