MALKANGIRI: Malkangiri collector Somesh Kumar Upadhyay, who is also the chairman of the District Council of Culture, held a district-level coordination meeting at the Zilla Parishad conference hall on Saturday to review preparations for Malyabanta Mahotsav 2025.
This year, the five-day festival will be celebrated from December 14 to 18, along with the Pallishree Mela at the DNK Ground in Malkangiri.
The meeting was attended by several dignitaries, including additional district magistrates Somnath Pradhan (General) and Bedabar Pradhan (Revenue), deputy collector Ashni AL, Superintendent of Police Vinod Patil H, DFO Sai Kiran and Nabarangpur MP representative Sanjay Sarkar.
The collector emphasised that the festival should showcase the rich tribal language, folk culture, and traditional values of Malkangiri, urging collective cooperation for its smooth and grand celebration. It was decided that block-level festivals will be organised from December 2 to 4, ahead of the main event.
As part of the festivities, sacred water will be collected from holy sites across seven blocks on November 30 and brought to Bhairabi Temple, from where a Kalasha procession will proceed to the Jagannath temple in Malkangiri, symbolising unity in tradition, Upadhyay told the media.
This year, districts from outside Malkangiri will also be invited to participate in the boat racing competition, one of the festival’s main attractions.
The celebrations will feature folk dance competitions at the District Culture hall for two days, alongside mini marathons, boat races, and street carnivals, adding to the festive grandeur.
