Baragarh Dhanuyatra , why we celebrate ‘DHANUYATRA’
Baragarh Dhanuyatra , why we celebrate ‘DHANUYATRA’ . It’s the festival of legendary dramatic story of lord Krishna (from birth to king ceremony) and open air festival between two village (Largest drama pandal in the world). Where two villages are involved in this festival for 11 days. Each day is the different chapter of that legend live story display by the villager.
Dhanuyatra of Bargarh, world’s biggest open-air theatre, is unique in many respect. It is a theatre having beggest asembly of actors that a play can ever have, with almost the entire population of Bargarh, a small town of Orissa state and its near by villages making the cast. It is a cultural extravaganza where the same mythological play is enacted year after year but neither the audience nor the actors seem to get tired. In fact, it is a conglomeration of several open-air theatres, with the action taking place simultaneously at different stages and both actors, audiences moving from place according to the requirement of a particular scene. There is nothing new in the play but the uniqueness lies in the way it is enacted and the willing participation of the public enmass including government servants, politicians, businessmen and spectators.
The play comprises three mythological episodes i.e. ‘Krishna Leela’, Mathura Bijaya’ and ‘Kansa Badha’. The age-old story of Lord Krishna killing the tyrannical King Kansa of Mathura forms the central theme of the play. King Kansa the maternal uncle of Lord Krishna, invites Krishna and Balaram to witness and participate in the festivity of Dhanuyatra, which is held in his capital Mathura. But Lord Krishna could surmise the evil design of assassination behind the invitation and kills tyrant Kansa freeing his subjects from perpetual oppression. The play ends with the death of King Kansa. It is believed that, Dhanuyatra in it’s present form has started in1948 as the aftermath of independence as a performance charged with nationalistic fervour. Kansa, the demon king, symbolises the imperialist British government on its way out and Lord Krishna stands for the nationalistic aspiration of the people. During Dhanuyatra, for eleven days Bargarh town is virtually transformed into Mathuranagar, the capital of King Kansa while the nearby Ambapalli village across the river Jeera becomes Gopapura, the abode of Lord Krishna. Jeera flowing between the above two places stands for river Yamuna.
The vehicular traffic stands suspended inside Bargarh town for the entire period of yatra. Public utility services like water, supply, electricity, education and health services are absolutely in top gear. The total administration of the town and the people are taken over by King Kansa. Everyone in the town irrespective of caste, creed and profession becomes subject of King Kansa and abides by his will. Inside the town one can move freely but on foot and only Kansa moves on a well decorated elephant. The entire town becomes on open air stage being decorated beautifully to give a feeling of Mathurapura. King Kansa becomes the centre of attraction and he prevails throughout the yatra. Play goes on in the form of Kansa’s visit to different parts of the town for a few hours in the morning and the ‘durbar’ (Ranga-Sabha) sits for six to eight hours every evening. King Kansa during his visit to different places, if detects anything wrong then the person concerned is produced before him immediately and fined. If the offender dares to argue the fine doubles. Fine is collected on a proper receipt and deposited to a public fund. Normally the political big bosses and local dadas are prone to King Kansa’s fine. Anybody is free to raise any question relating to public interest issues in Kansa ‘durbar’. The most interesting and amazing aspect is that everybody including police, magistracy, engineers and public at large co-operate with the event for the common cause. That’s why King Kansa is piloted and escorted by his royal police (government police) during his visit to different areas of the town every morning on the elephant top. Kansa durbar hall is erected at a height of 8 to 10 feet from the ground level at Dhanuyatra field of Bargarh town. This well decorated durbar hall suitably places microphones and colourful lights for the benefit of the people. Some chairs are also arranged on the ground for Kansa’s Officers (govt. officers).
At Ambapalli, Lord Krishna is the focus of everybody’s attention. The play starts with his birth in prison, meanders through his childhood and adolescent mischiefs. It reaches it’s climax when he emerges in a beautifully decorated chariot from across river Jeera to embark on his final expedition to Mathura to kill King Kansa. Verses from ‘Mathura Mangala’ are engraved on every wall of Ambapalli, which becomes the mythical Gopapura during the yatra.
This festivals offers an occasion for the display of glorious cultural traditions of the area. The play carries distinctive Orissan folk music and dramatic traditions like, “Champu and Chhanda”. In early days actors were using “amitrakshara chhanda” in their impromptu dialougues and verses from ‘Mathura Mangala’. Besides, Dhanuyatra provides a platform to cultural troupes from other parts of the state as well as neighbouring states to display their talent to a culturally sensitive audience. It also showcases the ‘Sanchara” dance, an immensely popular dance from locally called “Gahak Bahak”.
ALSO READ ; Human Metapneumovirus: A new virus like corona spread in China
