Bhubaneswar: Odisha will be the partner state for the upcoming International Gita Mahotsav-2024, scheduled to take place in Kurukshetra from November 28 to December 15, coinciding with the Sarasa and Shilpa Fairs.
Minister of State for Languages, Literature and Culture Suryabanshi Suraj made the announcement on his X handle.
“I am delighted to announce that Odisha will be the partner state for the upcoming International Gita Mahotsav-2024….The festival will officially commence with the Gita Yajna and worship at Brahmasarovar on December 5. A highlight of the celebration will be on Gita Jayanti, December 11, when 18,000 students will come together for a grand recitation of the Bhagavad Gita at the sacred site of Jyotisar,” he wrote.
Earlier addressing a presser, Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini said that United Republic of Tanzania would be the partner country for the mahotsav and Odisha will be the partner state. “The International Gita Mahotsav this year will showcase a divine confluence of spirituality, culture and art. The timeless message of the Shrimad Bhagavad Gita will be shared with all of humanity during the grand event,” he said.
The first International Gita Mahotsav was held in Mauritius and London in 2019, followed by celebrations in Canada in September 2022, Australia in April 2023, and Sri Lanka and England in 2024. “The mahotsav has achieved immense success over the past eight years, since 2016. Lakhs of people from India and abroad attend the mahotsav. Last year, 45-50 lakh people took part.”
The CM said that a grand Gita ‘maha-aarti’ will be held daily on the banks of Brahma Sarovar from November 28 to December 15. Cultural programmes will take place at various pilgrimage sites throughout the 48 ‘kos’ of Kurukshetra.
A three-day ‘International Gita Seminar’ will begin at Kurukshetra University, coinciding with Gita Yajna and ‘Pujan’ at Brahma Sarovar on December 5. A saint sammelan will be held at Purushottampura Bagh on December 9, followed by an All-India Devasthanam Conference at the same location on December 10. “On Gita Jayanti (December 11), a Gita Yajna and Bhagwat Katha would be organised at Jyotisar Tirtha with a global recitation of the Gita by 18,000 students,” he informed.
On December 11, there will be an 8 ‘kos’ Tirtha Sammelan, Gita Shobha Yatra, Deepotsav and cultural programmes at 182 pilgrimage sites within Kurukshetra University. Gita book fairs and exhibitions will also take place at Brahma Sarovar from December 5 to 11.
Saini said that a Crafts and Saras Mela would also take place from November 28 to December 15, featuring the cultures of Tanzania and Odisha, along with other artistic creations.
Suraj told the presser that Haryana was the land of the Gita, while Odisha was the land of Mahaprabhu Jagannath, who is regarded as an avatar of Lord Krishna.
