However, the chapter “Mahari — The Temple Dancer” though provides the sweep of dates and the background of royal patronage that supported the art, seems too brief to do justice to the social history of the dance. The concept of dedicating young girls to temples and declaring them married to the Lord, the subsequent decline of the system under Mughal and British rule, and the rise of court dancing are somewhat simplistically dealt with. Too detailed an analysis cannot be demanded from this kind of publication. However, it is important to recognise the various sociological angles and remember that today’s readers approach art history with a heightened awareness of socio-political influences on culture. The author seems oblivious of these viewpoints in sentences like: “They [the maharis] began to lose their spiritual and artistic heritage because, apart from performing, they were forced to lead an immoral lifestyle in the courts of the Mughal rulers for sheer survival.”

A similar simplistic approach can be discerned at the end of the chapter “The Gotipua” on the rigorously-trained young boys who perform dressed as girls. It is a lack of detail that jars here: “During the 19th century, the dance of the gotipuas came under the influence of the sakhi nach of southern Orissa, which was already in a state of decadence under the influence of the devadasis of the Telugu region. These influences corrupted the gotipua dance during the closing years of the last century, even as popular cinema added insult to injury.” Strong words like “decadence” and “corrupted” when not clarified leave the reader with vague impressions.

“The Decline of Odissi” provides a pithier account of events, with references to historical records and more specific use of language. “The Revival of Odissi” takes the author onto surer ground, written with the authority of experience.

The chapter “Aesthetics of Odissi”, competently and clearly written, begins with a mention of the ancient texts that form the theoretical references for Odissi and Indian classical dance in general. It contains an explanation of technical terms, such as “tandava” and “lasya”, “nritta”, “nritya”, “abhinaya” and the like. Then there is a section on technique, with photographs of all the basic postures. This chapter also contains photographs of a dancer in the postures of the 10 avataras. This chapter, which later goes on to the hand gestures, is useful for students and those with more than a passing interest in the intricacies of the art. The applications of the hand gestures as provided in Nandikeswara’s ancient treatise, Abhinayadarpanam, are also listed. However, as this is a practical medium, there is no attempt to explain the exact manner in which the hand gestures are to be placed to convey various meanings.

The short life sketches of the architects of the tradition, starting with Guru Pankaj Charan Das, Kelucharan Mohapatra and others, are ready reckoners, as are those of dancers. Black and white pictures in these sections add a dignified touch.

Complementing the text are the fine photographs of sculptures and dancers taken by Dushyant Parasher. While some have artistic value, others clearly bring out the chiselled postures and hand gestures. Printing the verses on photos of palm leaf manuscripts is an aesthetic design idea. This book’s usefulness ought to outweigh any shortcomings in addressing debateable issues.

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