King Kansa Of Dhanu Yatra Seeks Atonement Before Lord Jagannath In Puri

Puri: A day after the world-famous Dhanu Yatra in Odisha’s Bargarh came to an end, Hrusikesh Bhoi, who played mythological character King Kansa, sought atonement in Jagannath temple at Puri on Friday.

Bhoi, accompanied by other artists of Dhanu Yatra, offered puja in the temple and sought forgiveness from Lord Jagannath for committing the mistake of speaking against Lord Krishna and fighting with him while playing his role as King Kansa.

Bhoi took holy dip in the sea and performed puja for Sun god as part of the rituals for the atonement. Later, he also met Puri Shankaracharya Swami Nischalananda Saraswati and sought his blessings.

“I have punished the people playing the characters of priests who believe in God. But in reality, I am a devotee of Lord Jagannath. I came here after the end of Dhanu Yatra to seek forgiveness from the Lord,” Bhoi said.

The 11-day Dhanu Yatra, the world’s largest open-air theatre, concluded on Thursday with the killing of demon king Kansa by young Krishna.

During the festival, entire Bargarh town was transformed into a stage. While Bargarh became Mathura, Jeera river turned into Yamuna while Amapali, which is located across the river, transformed into Gopapura.