Tahia: Odissi’s beautiful headgear

The intricately-crafted tahia replaced the use of fresh flowers as hair ornament

How does one distinguish Odissi from other Indian classical dance forms? Certainly because of its unique hair accessory, known as tahia, that is also the most striking aspect of Lord Jagannath’s annual Rath Yatra, when Jagannath and his two siblings, Subhadra and Balaram, don tahia as their crown.

“It has been an integral part of the temple tradition and later became the most attractive feature of the Odissi costume,” says Rupashree Mohapatra, Puri-based Odissi dancer, known as the lone exponent of the reconstructed Mahari dance style.

“Like the dance form, tahia has also evolved from Mahari, which originated in temples and was performed by hereditary dancers. They used to wear trisikha tahia (designed with three sticks),” she says.