BARGARH: The stage is set for 71st edition of the world’s biggest open-air theatre, Dhanu Yatra which will begin in Bargarh on Tuesday.
The 11-day event will again see Bhubaneswar Pradhan essaying the role of protagonist Kansa while 11-year-old Ayush Birtia would play the role of young Lord Krishna.
With the central theme of the Yatra borrowed from ‘Krishna Leela’ and ‘Mathura Vijay’, the theatre revolves around Kansa’s tyrannical rule and his death at the hands of Krishna.
For the event, Bargarh town turns into Mathura where King Kansa rules and Ambapali, situated across river Jeera, transforms into Gopapur while river Jeera becomes river Yamuna. Kansa will hold his Raj Durbar (king’s court) at Hatpada for seven days and the Raj Durbar will be shifted to Nishamani School ground from eighth day when the crowd swells up.
The enactment of day one will begin with Kansa’s accession to throne followed by wedding of King Kansa’s sister Devaki with Basudev and conclude with ‘Kansa Badha’ at the hands of his nephew Lord Krishna on the day of Pausa Purnima on January 10.
The festival marks the victory of truth over evil.The enactments at Mathura revolves around Kansa while Balya Leela of young Lord Krishna is enacted in Gopapur.
The Gopapur show ends on the ninth day when Lord Krishna and Balaram arrive at Mathura accompanied by Akrura, a minister of Kansa to participate in Dhanu Yatra (worship of bow ceremony). Convener of Dhanu Yatra Mahotsav Samiti, Sureswar Satpathy said the estimated budget for the festival is around Rs 1.20 crore. As many as 60 artistes will perform various roles in the Dhanu Yatra at Mathura while about 40 artistes will act the episodes in Gopapur.
This apart, 3000 artistes from 120 cultural troupes including a troupe from Bangladesh will perform at the Raj Durbar and Ranga Mahal during the yatra, he said.
History of Dhanu Yatra
Dhanu Yatra at Bargarh is the oldest and the most famous one in Western Odisha
The festival came into existence in 1948 to celebrate Indian Independence and victory over the British rule, symbolically showing the victory of Lord Krishna over Kansa
The festival earned its fame due to separate stages used to show the mythological story and involvement of the entire populace in the yatra