Bhawanipatna: The quiet town in the Kalahandi district witnesses one of Western Odisha’s largest and most unique religious spectacles: the centuries-old Maa Manikeswari Chhatar Yatra. This festival on Maha Ashtami is a remarkable confluence of tribal and non-tribal traditions, devoted to Maa Manikeswari, the presiding deity of the Kalahandi region.

The Chhatar Yatra begins in the late hours of Maha Ashtami, or the early dawn of Maha Navami, after a highly secret ritual known as the Munda Basa (replacement of the deity’s head) and Gupta Bali (secret sacrifice) at a place called Jenakhal, approximately three kilometres from the main temple.

The procession centers around the Vijay Chhatar (Victory Umbrella), a sacred bamboo structure veiled in black and gold cloth, symbolizing the prese

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