Odisha: World famous Bargarh Dhanu Yatra from Jan 15

Bhubaneswar: The world famous Dhanu Yatra at Bargarh in Odisha will kick off on January 15 next year.

The schedule of the 11-day festival was finalized at a meeting of the district administration today. Collector Monisha Banerjee, senior officials of the district administration, members of the Dhanu Yatra Committee and community leaders were present at the meeting.

Bargarh Dhanu Yatra is considered as the largest open-air theatre in the world.

The annual festival is celebrated across 7-km radius at Bargarh municipality and its nearby areas. The festival is enacted on the theme of ‘Mathura Vijay’, which depicts the victory of Lord Krishna against his uncle and demon king Kansa.

The entire Bargarh town is decked up as Mathura while nearby Ambapali village turns up as mythological Gopapura for the drama-based open-air theatrical performance.

“The nearby Jeera river is considered as Yamuna during Dhanu Yatra. Each and every residents of Bargarh are considered as the subjects of demon king Kansa during the festival,” said a local.

The Dhanu Yatra Committee conducts auditions to select artistes to essay various mythological characters like Lord Krishna, Lord Balaram, Sriradha, King Kansa, Akrura, Nanda and Jasoda in the annual event.

Several episodes related to the childhood of Lord Krishna and Lord Balaram are meticulously enacted by the artistes, he added.

The people of Bargarh have been organizing the festival since 1947.

“Dhanu Yatra was first organised at Bargarh in 1947 to celebrate the independence of India from the British rule,” said the local.