Nabarangpur, Oct 22 [UDN}: The historic Podagada shrine witnessed the grand celebration of its traditional Dussehra festival, preserving centuries-old religious customs, tribal heritage and cultural traditions of the region.
Nabarangpur, October 21 (Bureau): The traditional Dussehra festival was celebrated with great enthusiasm and religious fervour at the historic Podagada shrine, located under Bhandariguda Gram Panchayat in Umerkote block of Nabarangpur district.
The festival witnessed the participation of hundreds of symbolic representations of local deities, including Lathis, Kurchis, Angas and Bimanas, representing the three traditional Muthas—Hirapur, Paria and Borigam. The Bimana of Baba Bhairab and Maa Danteswari, which are kept at the residence of Kailash Behera in Umerkote, also participated in the celebrations. The Kurchis representing Khambeswari, Gadi Maa and Barabhuja were also brought to the shrine. Members of the priestly families of Badakumari village carried the Bimanas to the festival venue.
The Dussehra celebration at Podagada is distinctive because of its unique rituals and observance of pre-Dussehra ceremonies during the Krishna Paksha, before the new moon. The traditions are closely associated with the historical legacy of the Nala dynasty and its last king, Skanda Varman.
The pre-Dussehra rituals are first performed before Gadi Maa, the presiding deity of King Skanda Varman of the Nala dynasty. On the Friday preceding the new moon, similar ceremonies are conducted in honour of Gunduru Bhairab, Chutki Mauli, Butki Mauli, Jatia Rao and Mandal Bhim.
On the second lunar day after the appearance of the new moon, the symbolic Lathis representing Bhairab, Chaunria, Jatia Rao and Maa Danteswari traditionally begin their journey towards the Dussehra celebrations in Jeypore and Jagdalpur. They reach the respective festival venues on the day of Saptami. This centuries-old tradition is believed to date back approximately 200 years.
However, the procession to Jeypore and Jagdalpur remained suspended from 1942, the year of the Papadahandi firing incident.
According to the account of the tradition, Kailash Behera subsequently received instructions from the Kalisies, or traditional ritual mediums, associated with Baba Bhairab and Badar Rao to visit Jeypore and Jagdalpur and coordinate with the Devaswom authorities to restore the customary journey of the sacred Lathis.
Following these instructions, Behera visited Jeypore and Jagdalpur and met representatives of the Devaswom institutions, the Jeypore Sub-Collector and the Tahasildar. Arrangements were subsequently made to resume the traditional participation of the Lathis in the Dussehra festivities. Rice and money were also collected from the local raiyats (cultivators and landholders) to support the journey.
The traditional foot pilgrimage was revived in 1990, with Dr Paresh Rath of Jeypore playing a significant role in the revival. Later, the late Ritu Sahu took an initiative to arrange the public display of the ceremonial royal sword of the Nala kings of Podagada at the Dussehra mandap in Parabeda, Jeypore, in the presence of the present young king of Jeypore.
Dr Paresh Rath also encouraged the traditional felicitation of the sevayats (temple functionaries) through the presentation of sirapa, a customary honour. This practice, however, was discontinued in later years.
During the return journey from Jeypore, the procession traditionally visits several important places, including Umuri, Jayantagiri, the Ram Temple at Boriguma and the Bhandar Gharani Temple in Nabarangpur. At one stage, the participants receive offerings at the residence of Gopal Krishna Bebarta. The procession then travels through Taragaon and halts at Papadahandi before proceeding through Dabugaon and Umurhundi, passing through Saraguda and finally reaching Podagada, where the Dussehra festival is celebrated.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, however, the Podagada Lathis have no longer travelled to Jeypore. At present, the Lathi and Bimana participate in the religious observances at Soura Sahi only when invited by local residents and priests during the Kalasi ceremony.
This year, Dussehra was celebrated with great pomp and splendour at Podagada, drawing devotees, women, traders and people from surrounding villages.
Members of the Podagada Sevayat Charitable Trust played an important role in organising the festival. The participants included Trust president Uddhab Charan Nayak, secretary Purushottam Bhatra, treasurer Jaldhar Majhi, advisers Dashru Nayak, Sona Majhi and Bharama Bisoi, joint secretary Tulasi Bhatra, vice-president Jagadish Nayak, and priests Krishna Pujari, Purna Pujari and Narayan Pujari. Priests and Majhis from all three Muthas, including Mahendra Majhi, also participated in the celebrations.
The Navaratri rituals, including the sacred Homa and Yajna, were conducted under the supervision of Kailash Chandra Behera. Dr Behera also performed the worship of the 64 Yoginis associated with Podagada, an important component of the shrine’s religious traditions.
The Kanya Pujan, honouring nine young girls as manifestations of the divine feminine during Navaratri, was performed with devotion and elegance. Hundreds of women participated in the Navaratri worship, adding to the spiritual atmosphere of the historic shrine.
The festival also featured a lively fair, with hundreds of traders setting up stalls offering a variety of goods. In the evening, a traditional Desia-language drama was staged, providing a cultural highlight for the gathering.
The Dussehra celebration at Podagada once again highlighted the region’s rich historical legacy, tribal customs, religious beliefs and community traditions. Despite changes over the decades, the festival continues to serve as an important platform for preserving the cultural identity and collective heritage of the people of Nabarangpur district.
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