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Kalinga Mahotsav or the National
Festival of Martial Dance is celebrated to mark the victory of
peace over war. In essence, the Kalinga Mahotsav pays tribute to the
Buddhist philosophy of winning people's heart through Dharma than
conquering land by force.
Organized over two days, usually on
the first and second of February each year in Dhauli, Kalinga
Mahotsav attracts martial arts dancers from all over India.
The raw energy of the dance performances, the gracefulness of the
precise movements and powerful body language is for all to see on
tours to Kalinga Mahotsav as part of tours of Festivals in Orissa,
with Tourism of Orissa tour packages.
At the Kalinga Mahotsav in Orissa, you
can see live performances of the various martial dance forms that
are a part of India's diverse folk culture. Some of the prominent
martial dance performances that you can attend on your tour to
Kalinga Mahotsav include Chhow and Paika from Orissa,
Thang Ta from Manipur and Kalaripayattu from Kerala.
The Vishwa Shanti Stupa (Peace
Pagoda), built in 1972 by the Kalinga Nippon Buddha Sangha, serves
as the backdrop of the Kalinga Festival. The Vishwa Shanti Stupa,
like the rock cut sculpture and the 9th century Buddhist monastery,
also underlines the sanctity of Dhauli, the prominent Buddhist
center in Orissa.
Today the venue for Kalinga Mahotsav,
Dhauli in Kalinga had once witnessed the bloodiest battles in the
history of India. A war that left Emperor Ashok a changed man
who, at the sight of the slain soldiers and wailing survivors,
realized the hollowness of his victory and the futility of conquest
by force. A Buddhist monk named Upagupta rescued Emperor
Ashok from oblivion. He renounced the power that came with the sword
for the peace that came with enlightenment and undertook a journey
to enlighten the masses about the lessons and teachings of Buddhism.
On your tour to the Kalinga Mahotsav
in Orissa, you must also see the rock cut sculpture with
inscribed scrolls at Dhauli. Emperor Ashok's note to the world:
conquest by Dharma is true success as compared to conquest by war,
which is failure disguised as success.
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