Bastar Goncha Festival: Preparations have begun for the Gocha festival in Bastar, Chhattisgarh. After the 75-day long world famous Dussehra festival, the Gocha festival celebrated in Bastar is the second biggest festival. Amazing rituals are performed in this festival which lasts for about 27 days. Tourists from not only the state but also from other states and abroad reach Bastar in large numbers to see this.
The tribal villagers of Bastar have started the process of making the chariot for the most attractive and important ritual of this festival, Rath Yatra. In Sirhasar Bhawan of Jagdalpur city, the villagers are preparing a 32 feet high chariot from wood. A team of 10 members under the leadership of artisan Hardev Yadav of Bedaumar village has started the chariot construction work. The wooden idols of Lord Jagannath, Mata Subhadra and Balabhadra will be placed in this chariot and will be taken around the city, which is called Rath Yatra.
The festival of Gocha is being celebrated in Bastar for 615 years
The Gocha Mahaparva is being celebrated in Bastar for about 615 years. This tradition which has been going on for centuries is still celebrated with great pomp by the people of Bastar. According to the tradition, the new chariot of the Bastar Gocha festival is built by the tribal artisans of Bade Umargaon.
This chariot is completely prepared by the artisans in about 15 days and after that it is decorated. Rath Yatra has great importance in Bastar since the princely era. According to the historians of Bastar, the then Maharaja of Bastar was given the title of Rathpati by the Maharaja of Jagannath Puri, so Rath Yatra is taken out with great pomp during the Gocha festival in Bastar.
Netrotsav will be held on 6th July
Omkar Pandey, a member of the Bastar Gocha festival committee, said that all preparations for the festival have been completed. Preparations are underway for Netrotsav Puja Vidhan on 6th and Gocha Rath Yatra Puja Vidhan on 7th July. In the Gocha festival, 22 idols of Lord Jagannath, Mata Subhadra and Balabhadra Swami will be placed on three chariots including a new chariot and taken around the city. All the idols of the Lord will be installed in Sirasar Bhawan (Janakpuri) for 9 days, where along with performing the wonderful rituals, devotees coming from all corners of the country will be able to have darshan of the Lord.
At the same time, the Gocha festival committee is making preparations to make this festival more attractive this year. It is being said that artists from Odisha will also give their performances during the Gocha festival.