Post News Network
Khandapada, April 15: While Danda Yatra festival celebrated in various parts of the state is known for observance of strict rituals and austerity, a similar kind of festival known as Patamara in Kantilo under the block in Nayagarh district has carved a separate name for itself for making offerings of eggs and liquor before the deity.
The Patamara Parva or Danda Yatra celebrated in Harisubudhi Patna and Panusahu Patna Tiarsahi in Kantilo is different as devotees on penance abstaining completely from non-vegetarian food do the reverse when it comes to make offerings before the deity.
Devotees put up sacred thread and make offerings of eggs and liquor before Maa Mangala to appease the deity on Maha Vishuba Sankranti, the last of the celebrations. The priest also sacrificed fowls before making offerings of liquor and eggs. As soon as the rituals gets over devotees walk on hot embers, spike their backs and roll on a bed of thorns and submit themselves before the goddess to the beats of drums, cymbals, conches and gongs.
The festival starting from Dola Purnima in the month of March ends on Maha Vishuba Sankranti day in the month of April. During this period the devotees abstains themselves from non-vegetarian food and observe complete austerity.
They also leave their home nine days before Maha Vishuva Sankranti and take shelter at the Maa Mangala shrine. They do not take even water during day time and end their fast by having glass of Pana in evening.
They even stop taking the Pana if the sound of any animal is heard in the vicinity. The devotees and a Kalishi ( a person possessed with the power of the deity) on the final day take a makeshift idol of the deity to bath it in the pond in Panusahu Patna village.
While standing in pond water with the idol their backs are spiked after applying vermilions before making the offerings and going out in a procession around the village. Later a devotee is selected as the main devotee and he is tied to a ring suspended in air where he takes a roll around it. While taking a roll he hurls mangoes to the crowd tied to the ring bringing the month-long festival to an end. The mango is considered auspicious and whoever receives the mango is deemed fortunate.
