Mayadhar
Raut was trau\ined in the art of gotipua dancing bu
his elder brother Harihar Raut. He also studied under
Durlav Singh, Yudhishthira Mohapatra, and Mohan
Mahapatra. Like other gurus he too joined theatre
companies including the Orissa Theatre of Kalicharan
Patnaik and the Annapurna Theatre, where Guru Pankaj
Charan Das taught him Odissi.
Among
his well known students are Aloka Panihar, Kiran
segal. For his contribution to Odissi he has received
many awards including the Sangeet Natak Akademi award
in 1985. He has retained in his style delectable
elements of the gotipua techniques and his style is
distinctive and has fluidity and grace. He trained
his daughter Madhumita Raut who projects his style
faithfully.
