|
 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.
| 
