Malkangiri: Badayatra, a mass festival of tribals of four states like Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Chhattisgarh, is being celebrated with enthusiasm and traditional fervour. The four-day festival will conclude on Wednesday in Odisha’s Malkangiri.
One of the striking features of the mass festival is the scene of thousands of devotees releasing pigeons during the celebrations to fulfill their long cherished wishes on the eve of its concluding day at Kanyabandhmajhi village under Kalimela block in Malkangiri district.
Scores of devotees were seen standing in queues with pigeons at the worship place.
“It is an age-old tradition. During the mass festival, thousands of devotees from various parts of the four states throng the place to have dharshan of deities and set free pigeons. Pigeons are symbols of peace,” a devotee said.
The amazing fact about these pigeons is that the birds after being released by devotees are least disturbed. They do not fly away amid beating of drums and noisy celebrations. The birds are seen perching undisturbed on deities and nearby. And this has added to the strong faith of the tribals on the deities — Kanamraj, Balraj, Potraj and Mutuyulamma (Jagyanseni) of the hilly shrine Manyamkonda in Kalimela block.
Badayatra kick started from Polleru in Andhra Pradesh on Monday with participation of over thousands of devotees.
Devotees took the deities in a large procession to Polleru for their customary bathing ceremony at Tadakaleru river. Later, the deities were brought back to their original abode in Manyamkonda. The deities will be taken out to Malkangiri town in a grand procession.
The district administration has made elaborate security arrangements for smooth conduct of the festival. According to an official of the district administration, all necessary arrangements have been put in place to maintain law and order during the festivities.
