BERHAMPUR : Braving the scorching heat, thousands of people across Ganjam district participated in the Meru Yatra here on Friday. A massive crowd made a beeline for Desi Behera street, the temporary abode of Goddess Budhi Thakurani, to worship the deity as the 21-day festival of penance, ‘Danda Nacha’, came to an end on the day.
Danda Nacha, a religious folk dance of Ganjam, is considered the most ancient traditional form of worship. On the closing day, Danda Nacha is known as Meru Yatra which is observed on the occasion of Mahabishuva Sankranti.
Participants of ‘Danda Nacha’ are called ‘Danduas’ and their chief is known as ‘Pata Dandua’. The Dandua troupes move from village to village to perform Dhuli Danda, Pani Danda and Agni Danda, dedicated to Lord Shiva and Goddess Kali. During the 21-day festival, Danduas remain away from their home and wear sacred thread. On ‘Meru Sankranti’, the troupes return to their villages. After performing the necessary rituals, Danduas participate in ‘Kamana Ghar’ where a yajna pit is set up with three poles.
Later, Pata Dandua, the head of the troupe who remains inside Kali temple for 21 days, is brought out after a vermilion bath. He is made to walk on burning coal before being hung upside down on the poles till a few drops of blood ooze out from his nostrils and fall into yajna pit in the presence of thousands of devotees.
After the ritual is over, Danduas go to Kali temple to offer their gratitude to the Goddess. The day also coincides with Hanuman Jayanti, Pana Sankranti, the Hindu New Year and Dr Ambedkar Jayanti.
THREE-DAY SINGHAPUR YATRA BEGINS
Jajpur: The famous Singhapur Yatra commenced in Jajpur’s Rasulpur block on the occasion of Mahabishuva Sankranti here on Friday. The three-day festival kicked off after the current king of Madhupurgarh Aparna Dhir Singh offered prayers to the presiding deity of the royal family Lord Narayan Gosain on the banks of Madhutirtha Kshetra pond.
As per tradition, the black stone idol of Narayan Gosain remains submerged under water all the year round and is taken out of the pond on the occasion of Mahabishuva Sankranti. During the three-day Yatra, lakhs of devotees throng Singhapur to catch a glimpse of Narayan Gosain. On the fourth day, the idol returns to its abode. Legend has it that in the 16th century, the then king of Madhupurgarh had hid the idol in the pond to save it from being destroyed by Muslim invader Kalapahad. Later, the king had a dream wherein the Lord asked him to worship the idol.
3 LAKH WITNESS SUNA BESHA OF MAA TARINI
Keonjhar: Around three lakh devotees witnessed the Suna Besha of Maa Tarini at Ghatagaon here on the occasion of Mahabishuva Sankranti on Friday. The temple’s main gate was opened at 4.30 am following which devotees entered the shrine in queues to offer prayers. The Dehury priests performed the necessary rituals before the Alati. After the rituals, the Goddess was adorned with gold ornaments. Subsequently, the devotees were allowed to have darshan of Maa Tarini in her golden avatar known as Suna Besha. The 87th Chaiti festival of the Goddess also came to an end on the day. Several religious programmes such as Chandi Paath and Satyanarayan Puja were organised. All the four gates of the shrine were decked up with flowers. The district administration made special arrangements to ensure hassle-free darshan for devotees. While free transport was arranged to pick up and drop devotees from three designated parking areas near the temple, a first-aid centre and temporary toilets were set up on the shrine premises. Over 500 volunteers and 200 police personnel were deployed to assist the devotees.