In this costume design, the blouse is made from the same sari material as is the cloth draping the front of the dancer. The classical texts refer to four essential forms of expression in the dance, namely body movement or Angika, vocal and sung textual expression, Vachika; pure communicative expression, Sattvika; and the expression through costume, makeup and ornaments, Aharya.  The back of the hair bun may have a large silver filigree pin or even a crescent silver wreath over the central pin.  A popular variation on the costume design is to have the decorative front pleated in a vertical fashion down the front that is closer to the Mahari temple dancer tradition. Maharis, who danced in the temple, typically wore black velvet bodices with the sari wrapped from the waist down.  The Odissi dancer wears shola pith flowers around her hair bun and it is topped with a tiara of shola pith flowers representing the spire  of Jagannath temple.com.  China garden pond water pumpThe beautifully woven silk saris of Orissa, its silver filigree ornaments and pith flowers, are the trademark accompaniments to the dance of Orissa.  A delicate style is popular far beyond its state borders and has become part of several Southeast traditions as well.  Today, Odissi dancers all use silver from head to waist.workshop@gmail.  A fabric is fastened around the hips from behind which define the hipline. Odissi is no exception.  

The red bindi or kumkum on the forehead is surrounded by white painted designs representing the sun and moon, or a flower. Many costumes include the unique single and double Ikat tie-dyed and woven patterns of Orissa which traveled to Southeast Asia from this state.  Her guru, Kelucharan Mohapatra, then designed a tailored costume so that the divided pantaloon could be easily stepped out of.  The eyes are outlined with black kajal extended far beyond the corner of the eye to resemble that of a fish with a tail.  This is occasionally combined with a braid of hair plaited down the back, if the dancer chooses to follow the Mahari tradition.  Shola pith, for those not from eastern India, may be best known for the British Colonial pith helmets.Odissi dance, like the other classical genres of India, gives great importance to the costume, ornamentation and makeup used in the performance.  A dancer may certainly use fewer ornaments than mentioned in the text.  Earrings rise over the entire ear in peacock or geometric designs with large dangling bell shaped jhumkas.