Exquisite stone art of Khajuraho will gain global recognition at Khajuraho Dance Festival – Governor Shri Patel

The Rashtriya Kalidas Samman and Rajya Roopankar Kala Puraskar Prize will be awarded

Governor Shri Mangubhai Patel said that the exquisite stone art of Khajuraho will gain worldwide recognition at the Khajuraho Dance Festival. He will leave an indelible mark not only on the state and the country but also on the cultural landscape of the world. Governor Shri Patel was addressing the 48th Khajuraho Dance Festival-2022′ at the world famous tourist destination Khajuraho on ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’.

Governor Shri Patel said dance is a universal art, which originated with human life. It is a confluence of crafts, theatre, music and literature. In the Puranas he was considered the destroyer of evil and the medium of divine worship. Khajuraho Dance Festival is an event worthy of practicing this classical dance. Governor Shri Patel inaugurated the ceremony by lighting the lamp together with Minister of Tourism, Culture and Spirituality Usha Thakur, Minister of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Shri Omprakash Sakhlecha and MP Shri Vishnu Dutt Sharma. He also offered floral tributes to the portrait of Mother India.

A reference center will be established for classical dance – Minister Sushri Thakur

Culture and Tourism Minister Sushri Thakur said spirituality is the underlying vision of all arts in India. Dance styles emerged from temple traditions in India. Bharatanatyam from Tanjore temple, Odissi dance from Lord Jagannath Puri temple, Kathak inspired by dance of Natwara Krishna, Kathakali from Guruvayur temple in Kerala, Mohiniattam based on Mohini avatar of Lord Vishnu and Manipuri dance from Vaishnava sect. Dance is a rhythmic presentation of all kinds of expressions. The entire universe also functions due to this rhythm. Khajuraho’s sculptures in the form of these rhythmic dance postures are the living pictures of Indian philosophy. The four Purusharthas of Sanatan Dharma represent Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha. It is a journey from the outer world to the inner world. Considering the greatness of dance and its contribution to human life, a classical dance context center will be established in Khajuraho.

Minister Shri Sakhlecha said the combination of art and culture was established in the form of temples between the 9th and 12th centuries by the Bundelas. This temple is a marvelous specimen of geometry, mathematics and architecture. The sculptures here depict the art of living, which is not seen anywhere in the world.

MP Shri VD Sharma said Khajuraho is a confluence of art, culture and spirituality. It has the distinction of being one of the 17 iconic cities of the country besides being the land of Mritangeshwar Bhagwan and the World Heritage Site. The cultural and tourism development of Khajuraho will reach new heights with the construction of a world-class auditorium and the organization of the Khajuraho Dance Festival.

The Principal Secretary for Culture and Tourism, Shri Shivshekhar Shukla, said the Khajuraho dance festival scene holds a special place in the world. This step is very important for many prominent artists at home and abroad. It is the effort of the government that in the times to come, artists from different cultures at home and abroad have the opportunity to show their talent. He thanked all the dignitaries and ambassadors and high commissioners from 8 countries for attending the Khajuraho Dance Festival. He said that the presence of all of you gave more grandeur and dignity to this function.

Ambassadors and High Commissioners from 8 countries attend performances

Ambassadors and High Commissioners from 8 countries joined the family to watch performances at the 48th Khajuraho Dance Festival. Ambassadors and high commissioners from Korea, Argentina, Vietnam, Brunei, Finland, Malaysia, Thailand and Laos attended the festival. Vietnamese Ambassador Shri Pham Sanh Chau, Laos Ambassador Shri Bounneme Chauanghom, Finnish Ambassador Shri Ritva Koukku-Ronde, Brunei High Commissioner Shri Dato Alaihuddin Mohamed Taha and Shri Hamid Abdul Hidayat, High Commissioner from Malaysia, witnessed a fascinating and captivating family dance performance.

Rashtriya Kalidas Samman and Rajya Roopankar Kala Puraskar conferred

During the ceremony, Rashtriya Kalidas Samman, was given for classical dance to Sunaina Hazari Lal for the year 2019-20 and Smt. Shanta and Shri VP Dhananjayan for the year 2020-21. They received a cash prize of Rs 2 lakh, a plaque of honor, a shawl and a shriphal. Also, Rajya Roopankar Kala Awards have been given for the year 2022. Devkrishna Jatashankar Joshi Award was given to Priya Sisodia from Badnavar, Mukund Sakharam Bhand Award to Shri Swapan Tarafdar from Indore, Syed Haider Raza Award to Shri Durgesh Birthare of Jabalpur, Dattatreya Damodar Devlalikar Award to Shri Narendra Jatav of Ashoknagar, Jagdish Swaminathan Award to Shri Sanjay Dhawale of Ashok Nagar, Vishnu Chinchalkar Award to Shri Muni Sharma of Gwalior, Narayan Shridhar Bendre Award to Shri Agnesh Kerketta of Bhopal , Raghunath Krishnarao Phadke Award to Shri Rituraj Shrivastava of Jabalpur, Ram Manohar Sinha Award to Sushri Jyoti Singh of Sagar and Lakshmi Shankar Rajput Award to Dr Sonali Chouhan (Peethwe) of Dewas.

On the first day of the Khajuraho Dance Festival, the disciples of Pandit Birju Maharaj from Kalashram New Delhi gave an enchanting performance by the Kathak group. The rhythm of the feet on the beat of the tabla captivated the audience. In this sequence, an attractive presentation of Bharatnatyam group dance was given by Shanta-VP Dhananjayan and his group. The spellbinding performances of the accomplished artists in a musical environment with traditional costumes captivated the audience. Odissi from Sujatha Mohapatra Bhubaneshwar, Bharatnatyam from Nirupama Rajendra Bengaluru and Kathak from Samagama and Kuchipudi from Jairama Rao and group on the second day of the ceremony.

The dance festival is organized with the joint effort of Madhya Pradesh Tourism Board, Archaeological Survey of India and Chhatarpur District Administration along with Ustad Alauddin Khan Sangeet and the Academy Department of Kala culture, Madhya Pradesh Sanskriti Parishad. Director of Culture Shri Aditi Kumar Tripathi, Director Alauddin Khan Sangeet and Kala Akademi Shri Rahul Rastogi along with senior officers from the department and district administration were present at the ceremony.

‘Khajuraho Dance Festival’ from February 20 to 26

The Khajuraho Dance Festival, following the ancient tradition, like last year, will become the aura of the temple premises this year as well. It will be an unparalleled confluence of devotion to God and dance. Renowned artists from across the country and around the world will perform their dance performances at the 48th Dance Festival. The celebrations will continue until February 26.

During the ceremony, the cultural landscape of Indian dance styles and the art-travel exhibition focus on Kathak, the Art-Mart art exhibition of other countries in the world including India, Kalavarta, a dialogue between artists and art experts, artistic contribution of senior painter Shri Laxminarayan Bhavsar will take place. There will be major events like Pranati, Indigenous Knowledge Fair and Parampara – Art Tradition with Skill and Artist Centered Film Adventure – Cinematography. The dance festival is organized with the joint effort of Madhya Pradesh Tourism Board, Archaeological Survey of India and Chhatarpur District Administration along with Ustad Alauddin Khan Sangeet and the Academy Department of Kala culture, Madhya Pradesh Sanskriti Parishad.