The three-day Rajarani Music Festival–2026 commenced on Thursday in the premises of the historic Rajarani Temple, Bhubaneswar.
The festival is being organised by the Odia Language, Literature and Culture Department and the Odisha Sangeet Natak Akademi, will continue from 16th to 18th January, 2026.
Inaugurating the festival, Union Education Minister Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, who attended as the chief guest, said that the Rajarani Music Festival is a vivid reflection of India’s rich culture and tradition. He remarked that classical and traditional music have given Odisha and the country a distinct identity at the international level. Extending his greetings and congratulations to the participating musicians and classical music lovers present on the occasion, Union Minister Shri Pradhan also felicitated eminent Odissi music guru Achyuta Maharana, renowned music scholar Pandit Suresh Talwalkar and all the artists who performed during the inaugural evening.
The inaugural evening began with a captivating Odissi music recital by Guru Achyuta Maharana and his ensemble. The performance opened with the raga-based composition “Nishi Natha Badani” in Raga Bajrakanti and Jati Tala, followed by “Manu Jau Nahin Ma” in Raga Shankarabharanam and Rupak Tala, the natyanga “Na Ja Yamuna”, and concluded with the bhajan “Kanja Charane”, composed by Singhari Damodar and Singhari Shyam Sundar. Guru Achyuta Maharana mesmerised the audience with his raga elaboration and emotionally rich presentation. He was ably accompanied by Guru Sachchidananda Das on mardala, Dr Jawahar Mishra on flute, Guru Muralidhar Swain on harmonium and Mamata Srichandan and Sangeeta Nayak on tanpura.
The second performance of the evening featured a powerful Tala Kirtan presentation by Pandit Suresh Talwalkar and his team. His intricate rhythmic patterns, creative use of taans and sargams and mastery over percussion techniques held the audience spellbound. He was accompanied by Ameya Bichu on harmonium, Shabari Talwalkar and Kaustubh Swain on tabla, Ishan Pramod Paranjpe on konnakol, Abhishek Bhuruk on drums and Nadukkandi Vinayadas Ramadasan on vocals.
The Odissi music and tala kirtan performances received an enthusiastic response from the audience. The selfie point at the festival venue also attracted a large number of young visitors.
Odia Language, Literature and Culture Minister Shri Suryabanshi Suraj, Ekamra MLA Shri Babu Singh, former MLA Shri Jayanta Kumar Sarangi, Secretary of the Odia Language, Literature and Culture Department Dr Bijaya Ketan Upadhyay, Additional Secretary Shri Deb Prasad Dash and Secretary of the Odisha Sangeet Natak Akademi Dr Chandrashekhar Hota were present in the inaugural ceremony.
