By Nishan Pattnaik
KORAPUT: Dussehra celebration in jeypore has been started centuries back is compared with the one in Mysore in terms of splendour and its Royal linkages. The Jeypore Dussehra is a mix of Royal and Tribal custom from era.
Prominent locals have continued their efforts to maintain the tradition of year even as the procession of elephants, horses and infantry units of the royal era is no more in sight these days.
While the Navaratri Puja began Thursday night with the end Mahalaya Amabasaya, the entire town is geared up to celebrate Dusshera utsav which signifies the victory of good over evil.
The Puja started at the shrines of the presiding deity of the town Bhagabati and other deities –Maa Dakhinakali, Maa Jagatjanani, Maa Basantayee and at the seat of Byaghra Devi of Rajanghar chowk and, a deity worshipped by the Gujarati community. Along with a total of 13 different pandals of lord Durga.
Though the festival is celebrated across the state, Jeypore has a distinction since it has been observed here for over 200 years. People from all over the District, state and near by States of Andhra pradesh and Chhattisgarh visit to make it more Colourfull.
It is said that the ancestors of Jeypore royals had shifted their capital from Nandapur to Purunagada at the foothills of Nakati Dangar near present day Jeypore in 1751. This had happened during the reign of King Ramchandra Dev I. However, his successor Ramchandra Dev II shifted the capital from Purunagada to Jeypore in 1791.
Ramchandra Dev III who succeeded him started celebrating Dussehra in such a big scale that it was compared with the festival at Mysore, according to some historians.
Colourfully decorated elephants and horses used to be brought in a huge procession from the royal palace to the Dussehra ground. The royal family members, ministers and top British officials sat atop elephants during the procession with the attendance of tribals and common people of undivided Koraput district.
The members of the infantry units of the erstwhile king took part in the parade held during the festivals. Tribal dance, music and drama were intrinsic parts of the Dussehra celebration in that period, it was learnt.
According to a senior citizens and eminent speaker Suresh Dash, Jeypore ruler after his victory over his neighbouring kingdom of Bastar, brought the latter’s flag to Jeypore and celebrated the success on Vijaya Dashami.
This apart, subjects offering gifts to the ruler and getting felicitated by the latter has been an age-old feature of the festival. The British officers also enjoyed this mass festival.
The festival was celebrated in a royal fashion for the last time by Vikramdev Burma in 1952 after the introduction of the Orissa Estates Abolition Act. Since then the festival lost much of its sheen as the celebration has to be scaled down due to scarcity of funds. The festival had to be observed within the budget sanctioned by the endowment department.
Against since few years the Festival has been celebrated with the same significance by the MLA Shri Tara Prasad Bahinipati who is also the Chairman of jeypore Dussehra puja Commitee with his effort he has tried his best to get the old tradition and custom of the jeypore Dussehra with inviting the family members of the royal family and the tribals of different community from the nearby Districts and villages the town has been decorated with colourfull lights and artificial tents.
The entire town is in a festive mood while a number of cultural evenings by the local Artist and Bollywood Artist will be performing starting from Sasthi to Navaratri and in the last day of Dussehra the local Citizens gather to fire the epic of Ravana with colourfull crakers. Thousands of people gather to mark the occassion with different tribal lathis , folk dances and music with a procession starting from the Rajnagar chowk to Dusshera stadium.
According to Tara prasad Bahinipati MLA jeypore said “Jeypore Dussehra is a traditional festival and we are trying to maintain the old rituals at its best of their ability.
With a number of tribal rituals with a mix of royal rituals this year we are trying to make Dussehra more colourfull and attractive also special arrangments are made to invite the Tribal lathis from different places and border areas and also prepartion in full swing to celebrate the occasion of Vijaya Dashami.
While SDPO Jeypore Ankit Verma said adequate security arrangements where made this year for a smooth celebration of Dussehra and special naka and forces along with civil officers will be on duty, Verma also said the town is under cctv and our men are on 24*7 vigilance and no violence will be tolerate and appealed the local commuters to maintain decipline and to park the 4 wheelers at the parking yard and not avoid parking the 4 wheelers here and there and also he said try to avoid entering 4 wheelers inside the town and obey traffic rules.
Executive officer Sidharth Pattnaik said as jeypore dusherra is a unique festival a large no of devotees gather from different parts of undivided koraput district and bordering area to jeypore so to maintain the sanitation like every year our team jeypore municipality is always ready and alert to keep the city clean and to provide good ambience for the devotees.
Sabyasachi Jena Tehsildar jeypore said that the tribals carrying lathis and seats as the symbol of their goddess used to walk over a hundred kilometer with there traditional bands and musics to be part of the celebration after receiving invitation from the Dusshera puja committee and endowment jeypore they walk with there traditional costumes and gather in 100s of members and in the Vijayadashami they will be felicitated by the puja commitee at the Dussehra stadium where there will be burning of effigy of Rawan.
Jena also said all short of arrangements for the tribals visiting to the city will be provided with all basic facilities and also this disherra will be made a great celebration this year.
