BARGARH: Dhanuyatra, the world’s largest open air theatre, is set to begin in just three days and the organising committee is leaving no stone unturned to make its 77th edition a grand success.
The 11-day festival will begin on January 3 and continue till January 13.
Prior to the festival, the promotion committee will on Wednesday organise a Rangoli Mahotsav in which a road stretch of Bargarh town will turn into a canvas for hundreds of artists showcasing their artistic abilities. Last year, over 400 artists made rangolis on over 560 ft X 20 ft stretch of road.
While the performances of Dhanuyatra will take place across 14 stages within a radius of five kilometre, the main stage or the Kansa Durbar will be developed on the Mysore Palace theme this year. Likewise, a more attractive and modified Ranga Mahal is being made and many popular artists have also been invited this year.
Convenor of Dhanuyatra Mahotsav Samiti, Sureswar Satpathy said work is on in full swing to ensure the folk art and culture is widely promoted on stage. “At the same time, we have made sure all stakeholders including those who perform on the stage to those involved in other works are benefitted and the social, spiritual and economic development of Bargarh is achieved,” he added.
Meanwhile, the performing artistes at Dhanuyatra have another reason to cheer as the state government has announced `10,000 financial aid for them. The festival’s beginning on January 3 (Friday) will be marked with an extravagant cultural procession in the afternoon. This will be followed by stage acts in the evening. More than 170 artistes will depict various roles at Mathura as well as Gopapura. Besides, over 3,000 artistes from 120 cultural troupes will perform at the Raj Durbar and Ranga Mahal during the 11-day open air theatre. This apart, several exhibitions and expo are being organised at different places in Bargarh town.
Over the years, Dhanuyatra has earned the identity of being the largest open air theatre in the world. The tyrannical rule of Kansa, his death and the exploits of Lord Krishna are enacted in 14 main stages in Mathura and Gopapura. While the central theme of the festival is borrowed from the ‘Krishna Leela and Mathura Vijay’, day 1 depicts the wedding of King Kansa’s sister Devaki with Basudev and concludes with ‘Kansa Vadha’ at the hands of his nephew Lord Krishna.
During the course of these 11 days, Bargarh town transforms into Mathura with river Jeera becoming river Yamuna and Ambapali becoming Gopapura. Touted to be the only play which is staged without a script, during Dhanuyatra every resident of the town seems to be playing the ‘Praja’ (subject) of Kansa who has been ruling the kingdom (Bargarh town) for 77 years now.
