Dhanu Yatra

The sleepy town of Bargarh in western Odisha comes alive the Dhanu Yatra, considered the biggest open air theatre in Asia. Held either in the month of December or January, the festival is organised to celebrate the Independence and victory of the good over the evil. With the central theme of the festival based on the Krishna Leela and Mathura Vijay, the enactment begins with wedding of King Kansa’s sister Devaki with Basudev followed by his accession to throne, dethroning his father Ugrasen and concludes with ‘Kansa Badha’ at the hands of nephew Lord Krishna. It is a visual delight as the entire episode of Mathura Vijay and Krishna Leela is depicted frame by frame. During the festival, a Bargarh Municipality limit temporarily conforms to Mathurapuri, the capital of the kingdom of mythological demon King Kansa. River Jeera represents river Yamuna across which is situated village Ambapali that turns into Gopapur where Krishna will be brought up. The festival, which is a synthesis of stage, theatre and cinema, will be held for 11 days preceding the Pousa Purnima. Every year, the organisers add a new dimension to the festival to set aside the monotony and add colour to the festival.