Bhubaneswar: Doyens of Indian classical music performed at the two-day festival that concluded here on Wednesday night.

Hindustani classical exponent Debendra Narayan Satpathy presented vilambit and drut khayal, both on raga Kannada.

Musician Ramesh Chandra Das presented recitals on violin. Accompanied by Sandeep Rout on tabla and Manmita Das on tanpura, the artiste played a number of rare ragas.

Sangita Panda presented Odissi music recitals. The performance Sata Ki Kahi Eha, adapted from Gita Govinda was set to raga Tara.

Hindustani classical vocalist Chittaranjan Pani after reciting from Ramcharitmanas sang compositions based on ragas such as darbari, malkauns and tarana. He concluded his performance with a Tulsi bhajan.

A flute recital by Abhiram Nanda was a major highlight. Odissi music singer Rupak Kumar Parida rendered songs from Gita Govinda to create an ambience of musical trance.

The Classical Music Festival was hosted by the Odisha Sangeet Natak Akademi. "The festival's aim was to help people learn about various combinations of taal and laya used in Odissi and other classical music," said akademi secretary Pradeep Kumar Mishra.

Odissi music has a rich legacy dating back to 2nd century BC when King Kharavela, the ruler of Kalinga, had patronised music and dance. There are historical evidences in the form of sculptures of musical instruments, singing and dancing postures of damsels in the Ranigumpha Cave at Khandagiri and Udayagiri.

"The programme is a wonderful platform to establish the essence of classical music among youngsters. It was a great scope to witness performances by great artistes," said Asha Mishra, a music enthusiast.