Dhanu Yatra

Dhanu Yatra is one of the significant festivals that is celebrated in the east Indian state of Orissa. Temples and shrines are peppered all over the state that is renowned for its religious Diaspora and the spiritual fervor and passion of its inhabitants.

Dhanu Yatra is one of the many festivals that have a strong religious character. The festal celebrations usually commence for a stretch of 7 to 11 days and takes place in the fair grounds of Baragarh in its namesake Baragarh District of Orissa. The celebrations also extend to certain regions in Sambhalpur District of Orissa. The festival is celebrated in the congenial and bracing winter months of January and February, prior to the Pausa Purnima ( January's first full moon) and is alive with religious zeal as well as mirth and merriment.

Primarily a mythological ceremony, Dhanu Yatra is centered around Lord Krishna's sojourn to the holy lands of Mathura in order to visualize the bow or the dhanu ceremony organized by the emperor Kansa. The chronicles of the epic Bhagawat Purana elucidate this auspicious occasion.

The Dhanu Yatra ceremony beautifully infuses all the historical and mythological elements so that the festival bears a close semblance to the mythic Mathura event. The quaint little Baragarh town is completely transformed into the celestial Mathura and the Jira River that meanders by represents the Yamuna River while the bucolic hamlet of Amapalli symbolizes the famed 'Gopa' village. While the drama and the performances are held in the afternoon, a plethora of other entertaining events are organized to keep the tourists and visitors up on their feet throughout the night.