Sambalpur hosts inaugural Dhanuyatra Festival for five days
SAMBALPUR: In a unique effort to present the popular mythological saga of Krishna Leela and Kansa Vadh in the local dialect, a Sambalpuri Dhanuyatra is slated to be held for the first time in the city from Wednesday. The five-day festival will conclude on March 10.
Dhanuyatra as a popular mass festival came into existence in 1947-48 in the Bargarh town of western Odisha, to celebrate India’s Independence. Ever since, the festival has evolved becoming the largest open air theatre in the world.
The initiative, to recreate the masterpiece in the local Sambalpuri language has been taken up by a group of culture lovers here. The artistes selected to perform during the festival also belong to Sambalpur city.
President of the Sambalpuri Dhanuyatra Committee, Sanjay Baboo said, “Though we got less time to execute everything, all the members have been enthusiastic to make the first edition a grand success.”
During the festival, the Gangadhar Mandap in the city will transform into Kansa Durbar of Mathura and Chaurpur village on the other side of new Mahanadi bridge will become Gopapura, he added.
While the members have reportedly raised funds among themselves, the state government has also extended financial support of `1 lakh for the festival, sources said. Around 100 local artistes from within Sambalpur are scheduled to perform during the five days.