Have a tryst with the mythical age in Orissa

BHUBANESWAR - Do you want to slip into a time machine and move back to a mythical age? An entire town in western Orissa transports itself back to the Dwapara Yug, one of the four ages described in Hindu scriptures.

Come December, during the festival of Dhanu Yatra, small town Bargarh turns into an open-air stage with its denizens becoming actors and playing their part in the mythological drama of Lord Krishna’s visit to his uncle Kansa’s place, culminating in the killing of the demon king.

Along with the people of the area, the satellite settlements too take mythical names -Bargarh transforms into Mathura, the Jeera river becomes the Yamuna river and Ambapali village across the river turns into Gopapura.

The festival begins with the wedding of Kansa’s sister Devaki with Vasudev, followed by their imprisonment, birth of Krishna, Krishna Leela and the killing of the demon Kansa who rules Mathura. Interestingly, different acts of the drama are played in different locations, turning the city into a big open-air stage.

Eleven stages have been installed in the city for different acts of the mythical drama and the venue changes according to the demands of the scene. However, the centre of activity is on Hatapada stage, where Kansa’s darbar (court) has been set up.

When Kansa rules in Bargarh, Krishna Leela is played in the other part of the Jeera river in Ambapali village until he comes to Kansa’s darbar. The walls of the village houses are decorated with paintings for the purpose.

However, one aberration in the mythical drama is Kansa’s character. Unlike the demonic description in the mythology, this Kansa is a lovable character during this 11-day drama starting from Monday. He solves local problems, taking errant officials to task on the spot.

Hrusikesh Bhoi, who plays Kansa, said: “I love the adulation from the people despite playing the part of a demon. The local people apprise me of their problems. If anybody is found guilty, they are pulled up instantly and punished with fine. The officials are bound to obey my orders during these 11 days as I am the ruler of Bargarh.”

King Kansa moves around in a decorated elephant in the morning, solving people’s problems. On several occasions, the chief minister, ministers and top officials are called on to the stage and pulled up for their faults.

“On one occasion, former chief minister Biju Pattnaik was fined on this stage. A division revenue collector was also pulled up and fined 300,000 swarna mudras (gold coins), leaving him bewildered,” said Budhadev Pradhan, a former director of the play.

This year, there are plans to include some pressing problems of the state like farmers’ deaths, student unrest, violence against students and the mining scam.

“These are the problems we will include during the play this year apart from the regular mythological script. We will also invite ministers and government officials to my court,” said Bhoi.

Earlier, there was no script for the mythological drama, but in the last few years the actors do rehearsals.

“For the last two-three years, the actors are rehearsing their roles. However, when King Kansa takes rounds of the town, whatever he does is purely extempore, adding fun to his act,” said Dhruba Charan Dang, the convener of the organising committee.

The origin of the drama is not known, but researchers believe that the festival has been going on for centuries.