Bhubaneswar, 4 December (H.S.): The Odia Language, Literature & Culture Department has approved a financial grant of ₹1 crore for the upcoming Bargarh Dhanu Jatra. The decision was taken during a high-level meeting chaired by Culture Minister Shri Suryabanshi Suraj.
The world-famous Dhanu Jatra festival will be held in Bargarh from 24 December 2025 to 3 January 2026. In addition to the grant, the department has decided to provide an honorarium of ₹10,000 each to nearly 200 artistes participating in the cultural extravaganza.
To ensure wider public outreach, the festival will be broadcast live through LED screens. The Odisha Paribar Directorate will also facilitate LED-screen live telecasts in several states outside Odisha.
The meeting also approved the construction of Dhanu Jatra-themed welcome gates at all major entry points of Bargarh town. Special tourist buses will operate from Bhubaneswar and Puri to Bargarh during the festival period to boost footfall.
A dedicated Dhanu Jatra website will be launched to provide comprehensive information about the festival, including event videos, key attractions, hotel details, parking spaces, venue maps, and integrated GPS-based navigation. A digital quiz aimed at creating awareness among students will also be hosted on the portal, with participants receiving digital certificates.
Minister Suryabanshi Suraj directed officials to ensure flawless arrangements during the festival, with special attention to security, fire safety, sanitation, medical emergencies, and overall coordination.
Highlighting the cultural importance of the event, the minister said Dhanu Jatra showcases the glorious heritage and traditions of Odisha. “During the festival, Bargarh transforms into ‘Mathura Nagari’, the Ambapali area becomes ‘Gopapur’, and the Jira river is depicted as the Yamuna,” he said, adding that this year’s celebrations would be “grand, divine, and spectacular.”
The meeting was attended by Bargarh MP Shri Pradip Purohit, Bijepur MLA Shri Sanat Kumar Gartia, Attabira MLA Shri Nihar Ranjan Mahanand, Bhatli MLA Shri Irashis Acharya, Bargarh MLA Shri Ashwini Kumar Sarangi, Padmapur MLA Smt. Barsha Singh Bariha, Development Commissioner-cum-Additional Chief Secretary Smt. Anu Garg, Department Secretary Dr. Bijay Ketan Upadhyay, Special Secretary Shri Deba Prasad Dash, Bargarh Collector Shri Aditya Goyal, and other senior officials.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Monalisa Panda
