Jamugurihat: Vaishanav saint Sankardeva’s rich theatrical legacy will come alive for four days in this remote hamlet of Assam’s Sonitpur district with the celebration of the 216-year-old “Barechachariya Bhaona Mahatosav”.
The festival dates back to 1797 and is held every five years with its distinctive feature being that about 21 ‘kholas’ or temporary stages are erected in the open fields where either Sankardeva’s ‘Ankiya Nats’ (plays) or mythological plays are staged simultaneously at all the ‘kholas’.
The festival, which began on February 24, has witnessed several ups and downs during more than two centuries of its existence but has survived against varied threats, including modern means of entertainment, to emerge as a popular performing art, general secretary of the festival organising committee Ganesh Pathak said.
This edition of Barechchariya, meaning several villages, will be held at Pakamura Field and will be formally inaugurated by Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on February 25.
Altogether 42 ‘bhaonas’ will be performed by artistes from 200 villages including Bodos, Nepalis and Adivasis, he said.
The main ‘mandap’ or the enclosure erected is lotus- shaped and is decorated with straw, bamboo, coconut and betelnut leaves and the Bhagwad Gita is placed right at the centre on a raised platform.
Around the main mandap, the ‘kholas’ are erected, which is an exact replica of a lotus leaf and with several lakhs of people likely to view the event, Pathak said.
The arrangement for the staging of the festival is a community affair with people from all walks of life actively participating in it right from the decoration of the mandaps to the staging of the plays, Pathak says.
The performances in all the mandaps start at the same time with ‘jora’ or “gayan-bayan”, the traditional musical ensemble, and a ‘sutradhar’ appears in all the kholas simultaneously.
Records show that the first performance of this ‘Bhaona’ took place in 1797 at Raghudalani village of Jamugurihat.
The credit for popularising the festival goes to litterateur Sonitkonwar Gajen Barua who strived relentlessly to bring it to the nation’s notice with several researchers, critics and cultural personalities realising the intrinsic cultural worth of the festival, a member of the organising committee Girin Nath pointed out.
The festival still remains a cementing force of unity and integrity in the midst of countless divergence and disharmony, Nath said.
The festival also highlights a unique social harmony generated by the event with the local residents displaying rare hospitality. (PTI)