Untitled

This was the last day of our trip; so we thought, why don’t we make detour instead of going directly to Ratapat. Two temples were on the way and our schedule was free till the evening when the festivities were to start. So off we went.

First we went to Champanath temple in the village of Champeshwar. Lying pretty close to Narsinghpur, this Shiva Peeth is quite famous for the large number of turtles that reside in the adjoining water reservoir. Over 200 in number, these turtles attract tourists the year round. Another speciality of this temple is the idol of Lord Shiva himself. The idol faces westwards unlike any other idol in the country which faces east.

On the second day of our trip we had scheduled a visit to Kantilo on the other side of the Mahanadi and going straight to Ratapat from there for the festival itself.

We began our day by getting lost on our way to Kantilo. Luckily the detour was small as we found our way back easy enough. Crossing the bridge we laid eyes on Mankadagadia and continued on our way to our destination, which was the Neelamadhaba Temple on top of the Bramhadri and Niladri hills.

Our group’s history with Badamba is an old one. One of our numbers hails from the neighbourhood and there have been trips to the place all through college and beyond. Situated about 100 kms from Bhubaneshwar by road and about 75 km from Nayagarh, this old town is close to quite a number of temples. 

Our latest trip began with an invitation to attend the Boita-Bandana (Boat Worship) festival held at Ratapat near Badamba. We decided to attend on the last day of the festival which is held on Kartik Purnima (23rd November 2018). So we started off from Bhubaneshwar on the day before at 8 in the morning. Our route started off Nandankanan Zoo. We travelled north off the new Mundali bridge but decided to return back to take the bridge across the Mahanadi on the Haldia-Talabasta Road. One the way we came across Devi-Dwara.

Indian mythology can be considered incomplete, without acknowledging the existence of Lord Krishna.  It is a name deeply revered by the Hindus. Dhanu Yatra or Dhanu Jatra is  all about understanding the divine being who stepped on this Planet a few thousand years ago.   This festival celebrates and portrays the Lord in complete majesty and unfolds in Bargarh, Orissa, sometime in the month of December.

History of Danda Nacha

The folk dance signifies the dance of the common people of the villages. Since pre-historic times, dance forms owe their origin to the traditional folk culture. Folk dances, essentially are the fragrance of the soul of the village life and are vibrant with rural sentiments of the people. Even though folk dances are performed for the sake of enjoyment and amusement, they serve as a bridge of social unity. No festivals, ceremonies or celebrations are complete without a dance performance.

Regardless of its geographic distinction, every community or tribe boats its distinctive variety of folk dance. Ganjam district of Odisha since ages has been the living identity of Danda Nacha, a traditional form of folk dance.

The central altar holds an idol of the Goddess Kali, which stands upon a man’s head, signifying the triumph of the heart over the mind. This central altar is called a chandi mandap. Similar temples can be seen in Balangir and seven other sites in India.

The temple is said to have been commissioned by Queen Hiradei of the Bramha dynasty in the 9th century AD. The village was originally called Hiradeipur in her name, which was later shortened to Hirapur.

Nalbana Bird Sanctuary

Situated near Barkul, the sanctuary is actually an island in the Chilika wetlands covering about 15.5 square km. The island’s name comes from the Odia language meaning weed covered island. During monsoon, the island submerges under the brackish water of the Chilika and reemerges during the winter months. It is during these winter months that birds from various parts of the world find shelter here.

No one is allowed to set foot on the island itself and the Government of Odisha enforces this rule diligently. History

Revisiting the Temple Up the Hill I started off at around 6:45 in the morning, the sun hidden behind the fog. A fortifying cup of tea later, I was on the road. It was cold that day, the temperature reading 17C and fog obscuring the sight on the road. Luckily this time I had a car instead of a two-wheeler so the temperature was less of an issue. However, this time I was alone. My team has scattered to the four winds around the state, busy with some important stuff. You will see some of that in an upcoming post pretty soon.

Chilika Lake on the coast of Odisha is a huge tourist attraction, being the biggest brackish water lagoon in India and the second largest in the world. Tourists flock here by the thousands for the spectacle, but also for its varied wildlife. Yes, the lake is home to a number of endangered species, chief amongst them the migratory birds of the Nalbana Bird Sanctuary.

A year ago we wrote about a relatively unknown temple up a hill just outside Bhubaneshwar. We had no idea what were doing actually, as posts dried out with us spending more time on other stuff. As the year draws to an end I have been looking back to see how far we have come and its quite far. So I decided one morning that it was time for a revisit.

Champanath & Mahadevi Temples This was the last day of our trip; so we thought, why don’t we make detour instead of going directly to Ratapat. Two temples were on the way and our schedule was free till the evening when the festivities were to start. So off we went.

First we went to Champanath temple in the village of Champeshwar. Lying pretty close to Narsinghpur, this Shiva Peeth is quite famous for the large number of turtles that reside in the adjoining water reservoir. Over 200 in number, these turtles attract tourists the year round. Another speciality of this temple is the idol of Lord Shiva himself. The idol faces westwards unlike any other idol in the country which faces east.

The priests of this temple are not Bramhins. Rather, it has been tradition to appoint priests from lower castes in this temple for a very long time.

From there, we made our way to the Mahadevi Temple situated at Dasarathipur close to Badamba. Animal sacrifice is still practiced here, most preferred being buffaloes. There is also a belief among locals that anyone caught stealing must confess before Mahakali or ill omen may befall him.

From there we took to a dirt road to a nearby river which is said to have elephant sightings every now and then. No human construction is allowed so as to let the elephant migration route to have free passage. There is also small dam and reservoir for irrigation of nearby fields.

Kantilo: At the Feet of God

Continued from here.

On the second day of our trip we had scheduled a visit to Kantilo on the other side of the Mahanadi and going straight to Ratapat from there for the festival itself.

We began our day by getting lost on our way to Kantilo. Luckily the detour was small as we found our way back easy enough. Crossing the bridge we laid eyes on Mankadagadia and continued on our way to our destination, which was the Neelamadhaba Temple on top of the Bramhadri and Niladri hills.

Kantilo is situated on the banks of the Mahanadi and was at a time considered a center of art for bell-metal artists. Some experts postulate that the name of the town itself may have come from the art (Kanti means old or broken bell-metal in Odia). These days bell-metal manufacture has declined a lot and some artists around Puri are the ones keeping the art alive.

The worship of Lord Jagannath is said to have been started from this place by the Sabaras, a pre-Aryan and pre-Dravidian tribe who worshipped a black tong image of Neelamadhaba. The wooden idol residing in the temple today is a much recent development.

Scholars do not have enough documentary proof to positively nail down the builders of the temple but enough archaeological evidence exists that points to the Bhanja kings, specifically Shatrubhanja I (who called himself Param Vaishnava) as the one who commissioned the building of this temple. This corroborates other scholars studying architectural styles who date the temple to 9th century AD. However the idol itself is supposed to be much older.

We did not spend much time at the temple as we still had an event to attend. While returning we stopped at Mankadagadia to look at the Jatra (play) being performed. After taking a few photos we started on the way to Ratapat.

We’ll be continuing this journey in another post as well as a few videos which will sadly not come until after New Year’s Day as all of us are off to our homes for the winter.

Bhattarika, A Jewel Fascinating are the places, which are steeped in history and legendary stories. On first glance, it might seem ordinary, but once you get to know it, you will feel an inexplicable sense of warmth and understanding of the place. Nestled in a small obscure village of Sasanga in Badamba district of Odisha, Bhattarika Temple is one such place on the banks of the longest river of the state, Mahanadi. Surrounded by the magnificent view of the river plains and the beautiful range of Ratnagiri mountains, the place has a rustic charm to it. Perched on the bank of the mighty river Mahanadi, it is believed to be built in between the 6th and 16th century AD. There is no official record of the exact date of construction. Recent renovation of the temple makes it difficult to fathom it as a venerable structure.

Dhanu Jatra is unique open air theatrical drama based performance in Bargarh. The place sets World's biggest open air theatre for this festival spreading across a 6km radius area around the Bargarh municipality. Dhanu Yatra takes place in the months of December or January. The festival continues for 11 days after ‘Pausa Purnima’ according to the odia calendar. Dhanu Yatra gathers various tourists from different parts of the country as well as outside the country. History

Danda Naata or Danda Jatra is one of the most important traditional dance festivals organized in different parts of South Odisha and particularly in the Ganjam District, the heartland of ancient Kalinga Empire. The Danda Naata festival is being held in the month of Chaitra of every year. The famous Danda Nacha or Danda Naata in Odisha’s Ganjam district is regarded as the historic as well as religious folk dance of the area. Each year during the Hindu month of Chaitra in the summer, the Danduas set out for Danda Jatra. They live a pure religious life in these days and bear physical sufferings. People in Ganjam district have great faith on it.

The Danda Jatra of Ganjam begins 21 days, 18 days or 13 days ahead of the Bishuba Sankranti. A Dandua group takes the vow for a period of either 21, or 18 or 13 days and then begin the Jatra for those days. This is the time of the year when groups of Danduas are seen in different places from villages to the town of Ganjam district. Also, folk dance amid playing of musical instruments Dhol and Mahuri can be seen at many places across the district. The Danduas use to wear saffron attire, hold peacock feathers as well as holy flags and travel from one place to another.