(Top) Artistes from Haryana, (middle) Kaustavi Sarkar and Pratima Pal perform at the Kharavela Festival. Telegraph pictures

Bhubaneswar, Feb. 3: The ongoing Kharavela Festival at the picturesque foothills of Khandagiri and Udaygiri is abuzz with visitors from far and away.

The 10th edition of the festival, organised by the K.N. Memorial Foundation with help of the state department of tourism and culture, the Eastern Zonal Cultural Centre and Travel and the Hotel and Restaurant Association of Odisha, aims to promote and market the rich culture and heritage of the state.

A number of handloom and handicrafts kiosks, exhibiting utility items for everyday use, have been set up at the festival venue.

The fair that coincides with the Magha Saptami Mela has also organised a plethora of programmes.

During the day, traditional sports and martial arts such as Malkhamb and Paika Akhada attract a large crowd. Along with these fun sports, other competitions and exhibitions such as sand art is finding its own niche visitors.

But, evening programmes are the biggest attraction of the fair. Noted artistes of international repute have been invited to perform their best of classical and folk dance from their repertories.

“We have invited artistes of all classical dance forms such as Odissi, Bharatnatyam, kuchipudi, kathak and so on. Folk dances will be presented by troupes from 14 states such as Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Chhattisgarh, Assam and many more. Jammu and Kashmir will perform for the first time in the festival,” said Dilip Kumar Nanda, chairman of the organising committee.

One of the most striking performances of the event has so far been young Odissi dancer Kaustavi Sarkar’s recital. The USA-based dancer, a disciple of Ratikant Mohapatra from renowned Odissi school Srjan’s Calcutta chapter, started with an invocatory piece on Lord Jagannath — Pushpanjali.

It was followed by another recital Shantakaram bhujagashayanam, where the dancer eulogized Lord Vishnu’s various avatars. Her next dance recital was Pallavi, a pure Odissi item, which she performed on raga Kalyan. The dancer’s grace and her perfect sense of rhythm and style kept the audience glued to their seats. Kaustavi’s last presentation was Navadurga, where the dancer manifested the nine different shades and beauty of Goddess Durga. The finesse of her performance was appreciated by one and all.

Apart from showcasing all classical dance forms of the country each day, folk dances such as Pandabani by Pratima Pal and her troupe from Chhattisgarh, an energetic performance by artistes from Haryana on ghumar, dangi folk dance of Gujarat were also seen.

The festival will conclude on February 5.