BERHAMPUR: Take a stroll down the streets of Silk City, and you are likely to run into Hanuman riding a bicycle or Lord Krishna walking along the pavements. You might even spot Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati mingling with crowds of shoppers in the city's bazaars, while his followers dance in the streets. Berhampur is celebrating the famous biannual Thakurani Yatra and the entire city is flooded with mythological characters, or rather regular people in the 'vesha' (disguise) of gods and goddesses these days. The yatra is observed to mark the visit of Goddess Budhi Thakurani, the presiding deity of the town, from the temple to her father's house at Desibehera Street here. Residents of the town, across age-groups, dress themselves in costumes akin to characters from mythology and use body paint and other accessories to look like them. Then they roam about the streets during the festival period as part of a 'manashika' (votive) offering to the gods. "I am dressed like Sri Krishna as my mother had promised the goddess I would do so if her wish for my well-being was fulfilled," said 21-year-old Raju, a computer engineering student in the city. People do not dress only as mythological characters during the yatra but also like some social and folk dance characters.
Source: Times of India, The Hindu
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