temple evolved, two categories of tem-
ple dancers emerged: those allowed to
dance in the inner sanctum, and those
allowed to dance in the natamandira.
In the seventeenth century, a third
type of dance emerged—boys dressed
as dancing girls performed for general
entertainment both outside and inside
the temple. The latter dance tended to
be more athletic and acrobatic, where-
as the women’s dance was more gentle
and lyrical.
The modern Orissi style combines
both elements. The most characteristic
stance is the chauka (“square”), in which
the feet are spread wide and pointed in
opposite directions, with the knees
bent so that the upper leg is parallel to
the ground. The arms are held in a mir-
roring position, bent at the elbow with
the upper arms horizontal, and the
lower arms and hands pointing straight
down. The dance’s stylistic impression
is one of roundness and fluidity, creat-
ed by rippling movements in the upper
body during the dance. As in all the
Indian dances, Orissi has a well-devel-
oped vocabulary of gestureand expres-
sion, making complex story-telling
possible. The modern Orissi dance form
has been shaped by the shift from tem-
ple to stage in the twentieth century;
this change of venue has been primarily
responsible for its “classical” form
becoming more rigidly defined than in
the past. For further information see
Mohan Khokar, Traditions of Indian
Classical Dance, 1984.
Osho
The name adopted late in life by
Bhagwan Shri Rajneesh. See Bhagwan
Shri Rajneesh.
Owl
In Hindu mythology, the owl is the ani-
mal vehicle of Lakshmi, the goddess.
Just as the owl is popularly believed to
have trouble seeing in the daytime, a
person pursuing “Lakshmi” (money and
prosperity) will be single-minded
toward it and unable to “see” anything
else, such as deeper wisdom. In modern
Hindi, calling someone an “owl” is a mild
insult, referring to the other as a “fool.”Owl