About dhanu jatra odisha
About dhanu jatra odisha
Dhanu Yatra – The largest open air theatre in the world
Though the origin of the unique folk theatre is shrouded in mystery, it got started in the year 1948. This folk theatre is essentially based on Krishna Leela and Mathura Vijay.
What makes this theatre special is that firstly, there are no fixed locations, secondly apart from the lead characters anybody and whoever is in the crowd is expected to chip in, and last but not the least, there are no written dialogues, everything is extempore.
The eleven-day long theatre starts with King Kansa’s accession to the throne, followed by the wedding of his sister Devaki with Basudev and ends when Krishna kills Kansa.
The festival is called DhanuYatra probably because it falls in the month of Pousa (Dec/Jan) which is called Dhanu, and also because King Kansa had invited Krishna and Balaram to the DhanuYatras, as per mythology.
This unique theatre is organized in the town of Bargarh in Western Odisha, which completely transforms itself during the festival. Each year the organizers add a new dimension the theatre to keep the interest levels intact.
