Dasakathia is a traditional Odia folk art. It is a performing art widely performed by local or travelling performers within the state of Odisha. It used to be one of the most important forms of

entertainment Entertainment is a form of activity that holds the attention and interest of an audience or gives pleasure and delight. It can be an idea or a task, but is more likely to be one of the activities or events that have developed over thousa ...

in Odia culture. In the performance, the performers use a pair of wooden instruments to create music. The performance is usually done by two person group. One person who leads is called ''Gahana''/''Gayaka'' and one performer follows, called ''Palia''. The performance is usually a form of ballad singing. Gayakratna Baidyanath Sharma is one of the notable performers in recent times. The music used in Dasakathia is based on traditional

Odissi music music () is a genre of classical music in India, originated from the eastern state of Odisha. The traditional ritual music for the service of Lord Jagannatha, Odissi music has a history spanning over two thousand years, authentic ''sangita-shas ...

Etymology

'Dasa' means devotee and 'Kathia' is an instrument used in the performance. In a Dasakathia performance the performers describe themselves as devotee of Lord

Shiva Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...

and perform ballad singing routines.

Origin

Dasakathia is thought to be originated from Khandara village from Ganjam district of Odisha.

Performance

Dasakathia performances mainly tell mythological stories, primarily about Lord Shiva, but also other gods as well. Besides mythology , stories based on love , romance, elopement , deceit and marriage are used as subjects as well . One important aspect of the performance is satire and social message The performers play the Kathia, a percussion instrument made up of a pair of wooden pieces while singing and vocalizing. Recently government has used Dasakathia artists for many public service messages.

Current State

With the advent of other modes of entertainment Dasakathia has lost its popularity. However, with efforts of Government and Non government organisations efforts are being made to revive the art form.

References

{{Odia culture Odia culture Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity Cultural heritage of India Folk dances of Odisha