This is the time of the year when both domestic and foreign tourists look forward to visiting the tribal culture rich Bastar in flocks.
This is also the time of the year when tourists make plans to spend their Dussehra in Bastar’s district headquarters Jagdalpur, wanting to know about an ancient tribal tradition of worshipping even ‘Ravan’ the symbol of evil in the mythological Ramayana along with other deities.
‘The Chhattisgarh Tourism Board (CTB) has a comprehensive package on the Dussehra tour of Bastar for the tourists and the bookings for the tour are already in full swing,’ Managing Director of Chhattisgarh Tourism Board Santosh Kumar Mishra
told The Pioneer.
He said that the CTB has introduced a toll free number 1800-102-6415 for anybody who would be interested to take up the tour package and book their tours for the Bastar’s internationally popular Dussehra festival.
Mishra said that the CTB had made elaborate arrangements for the tourists for the Dussehra festival for making it memorable for them.
‘We don’t interfere with the traditional tribal culture which is the charatersitics of ‘Bastar Dussehra’. The CTB gets involved in making all arrangements for the tourists for making their trips a happy and memorable one during the festival’, he said.
The CTB will extend all assistance to the tourists-both domestic and foreign who are planning to visit Bastar to witness the grand and traditional Dussehra festival, he said.
Notably, commencement of the historical Bastar Dussehra festival was declared on August 6, the Hariyali Amawasya Day, with performing ‘Paath Jatra’ and will complete after 75 days, after the completion of Dussehra when member of the royal family will perform last Navakhani festival and Maa Danteshwari’s umbrella atop the chariot will be taken from Kumhrakote to Danteshwari Temple premises. This year umbrella of Goddess Danteshwari will be taken on Nagar Parikrama in a new 4-wheel chariot and during indoor ‘Rainee Puja’ will be taken to Kumhrakote from where it would be brought back to Danteshwari Temple premises during outdoor ‘Rainee Puja’.
The second ritual of the Dussehra ‘Deri Gadai’ was performed on September 17 traditionally at Sirhasar Bhawan while the next ritual ‘Kachhangadi Puja Vidhan’ will be performed on October 4, the ‘Mahalaya’ day. Kalash Sthapana and Jogi Bithai will be performed on October 5. Meanwhile, the arrival of timber required for construction of chariot and its wheels has begun with logs of wood for wheels arriving from villages Sargud and Hatpadampur Friday evening.
Notably, timber for construction of different parts of the chariot and other purposes come from the pre fixed villages only as timber for construction of the main body of the chariot came from village Dhanialur as well as Puspal. After arrival of adequate wood logs, artisans of Jharumargaon village will construct the chariot. Since important rituals of Dussehra are performed at Sirhasar Bhawan, the agency engaged in its renovation has been asked to speed up the work.
Also, there had been a tradition of Tribal folks coming to Jagdalpur in mass for Darshan of Bastar Maharaja on Dussehra but this was somehow discontinued after the death of Pravir Chandra Bhanj Deo. This year as the royal family member Kamal Chand Bhanj Deo has joined the ruling party BJP, large number of rural public of Bastar are expected to converge at Jagdalpur.