#longread#dharmamusings#ShefSays
An Ode to #Odisha#OdishaOdyssey
Odisha is an addiction hard to shake off!
My love affair with this enchanting state didn’t begin at the feet of Jagannath Mahaprabhu, or in front of the exquisitely carved Konark wheel, but much earlier—with the textiles.
Long before I ever set foot in Odisha, I was already enchanted by the magic of Bandha—those perfectly aligned ikat motifs that look like fine brushstrokes. The Khandua pato woven with Gita Govinda verses in Odia script to be offered to Lord Jagannath, the sophistication of Sambalpuri sarees that carry the symmetry of mathematics and the soul of poetry, the thick, coarse, sparse beauty of Odisha tussar—these were my first entry points into Odisha’s heart.
But it was in 2016, during a beautifully curated heritage trail by my friend Venkatesh Narasimhan, that I truly crossed the threshold from a heady crush on Odisha to fullfledged love.
That trail wasn’t just an itinerary—it was a gentle initiation into an ancient culture that is alive and throbbing. I came back from that journey blinking, smitten, and wondering how Odisha, with its modesty and its marvels, had stayed under the radar for so long.
Since then, I’ve returned to Odisha many times—like a moth to flame, or more accurately, like a weaver to his loom, drawn again and again to intricate patterns of the past that still live and breathe in the present.
Every visit deepens the bond.
Every sojourn teaches me something new.
Every encounter humbles me.
There’s something about the cadence of the Odia language, soft and melodic—much like my mother tongue, Konkani, that reminds me of a lullaby whispered through coconut fronds.
There’s something about how people here remain rooted—unapologetically connected to their language, land, Deities and traditions. It’s rare to find a place where modernity hasn’t frayed the edges of identity—and rarer still to find it worn with such quiet confidence.
And oh, the temples! How do I even begin?
The sculptural poetry of the small, but perfectly proportioned Mukteshwar, the majestic towering Shikhara of Lingaraj, the powerful aura of the various Devi temples, be it Ma Tara Tarini, Ma Birja, Ma Samleshwari, Mangala Devi, or Cuttack Chandi, the sight of Konark’s ruins where the stone wheels once turned with the sun—each temple here is not just architecture, but memory carved into stone.
And let’s not forget the majesty of Puri’s Jagannath Temple, which doesn’t merely stand— Mahaprabhu breathes, pulsates, rules the spiritual rhythm of the state.
The history of Odisha is no less layered than its art. Once known as Kalinga and Utkala, the state has been a centre of maritime trade, classical dance, and temple building. A land where kings were patrons, not plunderers; where temples were not just places of prayer but also repositories of knowledge, art, and community life.
But beyond the temples and textiles, what keeps drawing me back is the people. There’s a warmth here that isn’t performative. You feel it in the way someone corrects your mispronunciation with a smile and insists that ‘pakhalo Bhat’ is to be said with a hard L. In the generous second helping of chhena phoda on your plate, in the animated pride with which a weaver explains the difference between single Ikat and double Ikat.
Over the years, I have made so many friends in Odisha who have gone out of their way to make me feel at home in Odisha
You’re never really a guest in Odisha—you’re instantly, and without fuss, made to feel like family.
In a world that often celebrates noise, Odisha speaks in whispers—through the rustle of silk, the gentle, graceful movements of Odissi, the white dots of jhoti chitta on yellow ochre surfaces and the hush of stone corridors where Gods reside.
Some people go to Odisha once.
I went once.
Then again.
And again.
Now, I no longer visit.
I return.
And I know I always will.
ଜୟ ଜଗନ୍ନାଥ।
- Shefali Vaidya
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WILL NEVER VISIT PURI JAGANNATH TEMPLE AGAIN!!!
Yes!!. I'm sharing the story of harrasment & humiliation meted out to my family & me(physically handicapped).
On 3.11.24 evening, I along with my mother(senior citizen) and wife visited Puri temple.