A photograph of a Chaura on display at the exhibition.

BHUBANESWAR: For scores of Oriyas of the city who have literally lost links with their villages, it was a sentimental journey down memory lane and a rare opportunity to have a peep into their past as they visited the unique `Chaura' festival hosted by the Orissa Modern Art Gallery here.

The weeklong festival coincided with the Oriya New Year celebrations, said gallery director Tarakant Parida. `Chauras' with a tulsi plant on it form an integral of every Oriya household and the Oriya New Year happens to be a special occasion to worship the `chauras'.

The festival is an attempt to remind the urban Oriyas of their glorious cultural tradition, he explained.

The exhibition has showcased `chauras' designed by eight terracotta artists of the State, including Mandar Rana. The artists include Saroj Rout whose work has been adjudged best entry, Kusha Sahu, Jyotisankar Ray, Smitanjali Mishra, Madhusmita Sahu, Asima Sahu and Prasanta Sethi.

Main attraction

The principal attraction of the festival has been an exhibition of rare photographs of `chauras' by journalist-turned-culture writer Bijay Kumar Mohanty who has been documenting rural cultural traditions of the State.

His unique collection includes an 8th century `chaura' found near the Sisireswar and Vaital temples in old Bhubaneswar, the chaura on the banks of the famous Bindusagar tank, the chaura set up in 1929 on Dudhwalla dharmasala compound in the city and, most interestingly, the Chandeswar temple of Khurda that was modelled after a chaura.

"It is my effort to sensitise the people about a glorious but dying tradition through this exhibition," explained Mohanty.

Orissa Lalit Kala Akademi president J. C. Kanungo, noted litterateur Jugal Kishore Dutta and Handicrafts Development Commission assistant director Biswa Mohan Mishra collectively inaugurated the show that will be on view till April 21.

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