Podapadar village celebrates age-old festival with rituals, dance, and community participation
While it seems that the entire world is rushing towards modernity at an alarming rate, there are many places in the state of Odisha which have retained their traditional culture and values till today. A fine example of the same was found in the village of Podapadar falling under the jurisdiction of the Borigumma block of Koraput District, wherein the tribal populace celebrated the traditional Baliyatra festival.
A festival with deep associations with agriculture, as well as belief systems, Baliyatra is celebrated once in every three years. Slowly evolving into a major community celebration, Baliyatra witnessed participation from people of all age groups, with children and old people alike celebrating the festival through music and dance.
As usual in every Baliyatra, the central theme of the festival consisted of the exhibition of sprouted crops grown in the sand. The women in the community participated in the procession by carrying baskets full of paddy, wheat, ragi and maize on their heads. In parallel, the men walked around carrying traditional agricultural instruments including ploughs, sickles and spades.
After this, prayers were made to their local gods Bhima and Bhimani for their good health and protection from disease. As per belief of the tribal community, holding of Baliyatra brings well-being among both people and animals and is beneficial for their agriculture as well.
Apart from this, the festival had seen a huge participation by people from nearby areas who came to attend and participate in the festivities.
Apart from this event held in Podapadar, there are several other celebrations of Baliyatra which are held in other villages of the Borigumma block. The next event will be held in Kamata village on 28 April after an interval of 12 years, Kumuli on 7 May, and Bisinghpur on 10 May.
Such celebrations of Baliyatra prove that agriculture and culture have close links among the tribal community. Not only do such events help in preserving the culture of these tribes but also help in passing down traditions to their future generation.
