JAGATSINGHPUR: Odisha’s legendary Pala exponent Pandit Jagannath Behera passed away at his native village Katijanga in Erasama here on Sunday after a prolonged illness. He was 101.
A towering figure in Odisha’s folk and devotional tradition, Behera dedicated more than eight decades of his life to preserving and promoting Pala, one of the state’s oldest forms of musical storytelling rooted in mythology, philosophy and spirituality.
Born in 1925, he developed a passion for Pala at a young age and received training under renowned gurus Harekrushna Nath, Bhagaban Singh and Harekrushna Swain. Though he had limited formal education, he attained remarkable proficiency in Odia, Sanskrit, Bengali, Hindi and English, enabling him to bring exceptional depth and scholarship to his performances.
Over the decades, Behera enthralled audiences with captivating renditions based on the Ramayana, Mahabharata, Srimad Bhagavata, Chandi Purana and other sacred texts. His powerful voice, scriptural knowledge, poetic expression, philosophical interpretations and engaging style earned him immense respect across Odisha and beyond.
Apart from being an accomplished performer, Behera was also a prolific writer, organiser and mentor. He authored two books, composed numerous poems and trained several disciples who continue to uphold the rich legacy of Pala across the state.
In 2009, he received the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award from the President in recognition of his outstanding contribution to Pala. During the national award ceremony, he won widespread appreciation by delivering a 30-minute Pala performance entirely in English before the President. He was conferred the title of ‘Gayak Guru’ in 2006 and received the Odisha Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 2007.
