The 76th edition of the world-famous Dhanu Yatra began here amid much fanfare on Monday evening.
Bargarh MP Suresh Pujhari MP and MLA Debesh Acharya opened the 11 day-long open air theatre in the presence of Collector Monisha Banarjee, SP Prahalad Sahaya Meena, Sub-collector Kumar Nagbhusan, Bargarh Municipality Chairman Kalpana Majhi and Yatra Committee convener Sureswar Sathpathy.
The Bargarh town has been decked up in a royal style, transforming it into the Mathura of Dwapara Yuga. The Yatra would be performed across an area of eight sq km at three Darbars and over 11 open theatres till January 25. The central theme of the yatra is “Krishna Leela and Mathura Vijay.”
With the beginning of the event, the town has come under Maharaj Kansa’s reign. While Ambapali has been converted into Gopapur, the river Jeera has been transformed to river Jamuna.
To avoid any untoward situation during the yatra, the district administration has beefed up security at the venue. “We have made elaborate security arrangements with deployment adequate police personnel,” said SP Meena.