Dhanu Sankranti 2022: The Day To Celebrate Lord Jagannath, Date, Time, significance
Starting from December 16th, Dhanur Sankranti festival is celebrated for about Eleven days, It’s considered to be a very auspicious day according to Hindu mythology.
Dhanu Sankranti is observed when the sun moves out of Scorpio and enters Sagittarius. The sun is considered the king of all planets and is worshipped as the real God, as per Hindu culture. This process in which the sun enters Dhanu is known as Dhanu Sankranti. It is of special importance in the state of Odisha where this day is celebrated with great joy.
In this period, Lord Jagannath is believed to be an avatar of Lord Krishna or a representation of Lord Krishna himself. Some women observe a fast on this day, and a special prasad is prepared, including sweetened rice flakes in a conical shape, offered to Lord Jagannath during the puja.
In this month, after the ‘Mangal Aalati’ of the Lords, Pahili Bhog is offered to the Trinity. Apart from this, ‘dhanu muan’ is enjoyed throughout this month.
The name ‘Pahili Bhoga’ means the first food offering of the day. As per the daily rituals of Shree Jagannath Temple, Gopala Ballabha Bhoga is the first food offering to the deities. During the month of Pausha, the Pahili Bhoga is ritualistically offered to the deities along with the Gopala Ballabha Bhoga. Anna Bhoga or cooked food like rice, dal, besara, mahura, saga, khichdi, etc are not included in the Gopala Ballabha Bhoga. These cooked items are part of daily Dhupa and Bhoga Mandapa food offerings to the deities. They are also included in Pahili Bhoga.
Devotees consider this tradition of Pahili Bhoga to be a representation of Batsalya Rasa (mother’s love for the child). According to folklore, Shree Jagannath’s wife goddess Laxmi visits her parents during the month of Pausha. In her absence, Yashoda, the mother of the deities in Dwapara Yuga cooks special dishes for her divine children. As no mother can wait long to fill up the bellies of her children, cooked food is offered to the deities early in the morning.
The Dhanu Jatra is one of the most special of the jatras celebrated in Odisha. Especially in Bargarh, from this day onwards, an 11-day world-famous Bargarh Dhanu Jatra is celebrated. This jatra has been recognised as the world’s largest open theatre stage drama.
During the entire festival that commences on the 16th of December for nearly 11 days, the Bargarh town becomes Mathura, the Jura River becomes Yamuna, and Ambapalli is depicted as Gokul. All adults and children together celebrate and many plays and musical performances take place. The entire stretch of nearly 5 kilometers becomes like a theatre where a large number of people get involved and enact various episodes of Lord Krishna’s life.
During this festive occasion in Odisha, families come together and celebrate with plays, musical performances, and theatrical acts depicting Lord Krishna’s life. The whole things make the jatra even more exciting.
