The term ‘Maharis’ refers to which of the following? – UPSC Practice Question

For centuries maharis were the chief repositories of this dance. The maharis, who were originally temple dancers, came to be employed in the royal courts, which resulted in the the degeneration of the art form. Around this time, a class of boys, called gotipuas, were trained in the art. They danced in the temples and also for general entertainment. Many of today’s gurus of this style belong to the gotipua tradition.
Odissi is a highly stylised dance and to some extent, is based on the classical Natya Shastra and the Abhinaya Darpana. In fact, it has derived a great deal from the Abhinaya Darpana Prakasha by Jadunatha Sinha, the Abhinaya Chandrika by Rajmani Patra, and the Abhinaya Chandrika by Maheshwara Mahapatra.
As in other parts of India, creative literature inspired the Odissi dancer also and provided the themes for dance. This is especially true of the 12th century Gita Govinda by Jayadeva. It is a profound example of the nayaka-nayika bhava and surpasses other poems in its poetic and stylistic content. The devotion of the poet for Krishna permeates through the work.
The techniques of movement are built around the two basic postures of the Chowk and the Tribhanga. The chowk is a position imitating a square – a very masculine stance with the weight of the body equally balanced. The tribhanga is a very feminine stance where the body is deflected at the neck, torso and the knees.

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