WARRIOR ARTISTS OF ODISHA

Paika

The ancient kings of Odisha relied on the military prowess of the paika, an infantry class of warriors among their peasantry. As and when the need arose, the peasant soldiers were hired by the king to fight wars, defend territory or maintain law and order. Today, their martial traditions are kept alive in the form of Paika akhada.

Paika akhada means ‘warrior gymnasium’. In the past, the paika gurus not only trained the students on how to use force to control their body movements, but also taught them archery and swordfights.

Today, youths gather at the akhada after work to perform age-old physical exercises and practise swordfights. They also dance in choreographed moves with swords and shields to the rhythms of traditional drums. However, it is a dying art form. It is mainly performed in villages during festivals like Dussehra and other occasions. Dressed in vests and dhotis, the warrior dancers begin with slow moves. As the tempo increases, the dance moves get more and more vigorous and the men engage in mock combat.

Women have also joined their ranks in recent years, with young Sunita Behera forming the first all-woman Kalinga Kanya Paika Akhada Dal in Odisha in 2012. Behera hails from Khurda, the place where the Paikas rose in rebellion against the British East India Company in 1817. The group not only trains school and college girls in self defence, it also showcases their skills in martial arts, baton and sword fighting and military formations in various state and national-level events across the country.