The 66th edition of the world famous Dhanu Yatra of Bargarh has started on December 26. The 11-day festival will end on January 5.
The spell of the festival is such that Bargarh town has virtually transformed to Mathuranagar, the capital of king Kansa while the nearby Ambapali village across the Jeera river has became Gopapura, the abode of lord Krishna. Needless to say, the river Jeera has turned the Yamuna.
Jeera flows between the Bargarh headquarters town and Ambapali. During the festival, Maharaja Kansa rules the roost in the length and breadth of the town. He also issues orders at his camp courts and everybody bows to him and follows his orders without fail. There is no excuse for offence in Kansa Maharaja’s kingdom. Be it the district Collector or the SP or a layman, everyone has to obey Kansa even as the man who dons the attire of Kansa and utters words in a royal style like the mythical king is just an ordinary person.
The fun and frolic goes on in the biggest open air theater of the world nonstop for the whole length of the yatra speaking volume about how much tradition bound the denizens here are. Where the Kansa Maharaja moves on the elephant’s back, it turns into a pandal. It could be an open market, a jail or the national highway.
The Maharaja takes stock of the situation of his kingdom by moving from place to place. From a resplendent pandal in the evening, the Maharaja asks the district officials to ensure smooth functioning of his kingdom and directs them to solve the problems of the residents.
The unique festival of Dhanu Yatra is celebrated after the harvesting season. The tired farmers get a lot of pleasure during the event. It is a rich and vibrant source of entertainment for the people of the locality and all others who visit the town.
The play enacted during the festival comprises three mythological episodes Krishna leela, Mathura Bijaya and Kansa Baddha. The story of lord Krishna killing the tyrannical king Kansa forms the play’s central theme. Kansa, the maternal uncle of lord Krishna, invites Krishna and Balaram to witness and participate in the festivity which is held in his capital Mathura. lord Krishna kills his tyrant uncle Kansa and liberates his subjects from his oppressive rule. The play ends with the death of Kansa.
It is believed that the Dhanu Yatra in its present form started in 1948. During the post-Independence period, the performance was charged with a nationalistic fervor. Kansa symbolises the imperialist British Government on its way out and lord Krishna stands for the nationalistic aspiration of the people.