Bastar Dussehra

August 9, 2018 4848 views

The biggest festival of the state

Highlights: Tribal interactions | Ancient ceremonies | Local bazaars

No. of Days: 14

Overview: Apart from the abundant natural charm, Bastar is also known for its enchanting tribal culture. The best way to experience this is during the local madhais (fairs) and festivals. The largest celebration in the year happens as a run up to Dussehra for 75 days. The festival is known as Bastar Dusherra and is not themed after the Rama-Ravana epic. Instead, it commemorates the Danteshwari Devi – a goddess who sits on top of the pyramid of thousands of Gods and Goddesses of the tribals. The last ten days have the highest-octane celebrations, culminating in the circumambulation of a chariot that is prepared over the last few months. This is a great time to see ancient traditions, rituals and colourful music and dance performances. But most of all, the air is thick with spiritual fervour of villagers who congregate at Jagdalpur, after travelling for 100s of kilometres.

What To Expect: It is recommended to spend the last two weeks before the last day of the festival. This is when the festivities are in full swing. Rituals like Jogi Bithai (the Jogi’s penance), Rath Parikrama (Chariot Circuit), Nisha Jatra (the nocturnal festival) , Maoli Parghav (reception of Devi Maoli) , Bheeter Raini with Rath Parikrama (the Inner Circuit) and Baahar Raini with Rath Parikrama (the outer circuit) take place. Chhattisgarh has over 40 tribes, most of which reside in Bastar. The otherwise reticent tribals come for the festival to Jagdalpur for the last stretch. This is the best time to have a peek at their clothes, jewellery and tattoos. Book ahead as Jagdalpur has limited hotel accommodations that get filled up fast.