Gotipulean is an ancient dance in Odissi, India. The dance is usually performed by young boys who then dress as women for the purpose of getting married. The boys begin learning the dance at a very young age of five or six years and from that day on they continuously practice and dance till the adolescence and then the androgynous appearance of the boys comes to prominence.
Dancing is one of the major aspects of Gotipulean tradition and most of the dances are performed by the young boys to get the approval of their parents and elders and to get rid of all the miseries in the society. The dancing tradition has gained strength over the decades and the Odissi season is celebrated with great zeal in most of the states in India. Most of the people are familiar with Odissi dance as it forms an integral part of the story of the epics written by Sunthorn Phu of the Sun thorn era. In fact, it has also become popular as the national dance of India.
The Gotipua tradition is celebrated on the full moon of the month of August/September in most of the states in India. The first festivals of this tradition were celebrated following the demise of the last king of Magadh (Abhinaya) in 612 BC. It is believed that the traditions of Gotipuwanda got started during the rule of King Bhagirath of Magadh with the help of his ministers. The tradition of the worship of the deities began after that and it gradually took over the entire way of worship. In the present scenario, these rituals and customs form an important part of the Odissi festival.