Kothisala Yatra in Berhampur. Picture by Gopal Krishna Reddy

Berhampur, Oct. 30: In an age when many folk dance and music forms are dying, Kothisala not only survives, but also is also immensely popular in Ganjam.

Local groups in the district have kept the age-old rural form of folk dance alive by organising Kothisala Yatra annually since the last five decades.

Held in the months of Ashwin and Kartik every year, Kothisala Yatra starts on Dussehra and lasts till Kartik Purnima for 35 days. Women collect five pots of water from a tank and place them near the temple wall for consecration. Then begins the Kothisala dance. This involves diverse activities of artistic significance. The centre of Kothisala is a community hall known as Kotha. Its walls are painted with illustrations by folk artists. The theme of the murals is “Lord Shiva and his consort”.

Clad in a sari, a young man carries a pot of water on his head and dances in a particular way. Artistes sing and dance during the nights. An improvised musical instrument called Dhana Koila, which is made out of an earthen pot known as kula, along with a bow and an arrow with ankle bells, is played. The principal participant of the song and repartee session is known as Gaani and he plays the Dhana Koila.

“Kothisala is a ritualistic dance in honour of Goddess Mangala,” said Badri Narayan Nayak, president of the Maa Mangala Kothisala Yatra Committee, which has been organising the event since 1962. The women offer puja in the morning. But the cultural show starts only at night for four to five hours.

“Songs based on Astadasa Purana, Chanda and Champu by poet Upendra Bhanja are sung. The interactive dance and song involves the question-answer session between the Gaani and a Palia or Devata,” said Badri Narayan.

Chinntamani Pradhan, president of the Ganjam District Maa Mangala Kothisala Gahana Kalakar Sangha, said more people from Ganjam were interested to perform in the Kothisala festivities.

“At present, the number of Kothisala groups in Ganjam is 78 and five artistes perform in each group,” Pradhan said.