World-famous 75-day festival dedicated to Goddess Danteshwari to showcase Bastar’s unique tribal traditions, rituals and cultural heritage
Raipur, August 12, 2026: The world-famous Bastar Dussehra festival began on Wednesday on the auspicious occasion of Hareli Amavasya with the traditional ‘Pat Jatra’ ritual at the Danteshwari Temple complex in Bastar. Dedicated to Goddess Danteshwari, the presiding deity of Bastar, the festival is known for its distinctive tribal traditions and rituals and will continue for 75 days.
During the inaugural Pat Jatra ceremony, traditional functionaries, including Manjhi-Chalki, Member-Membrin, Pujari, Patel, Naik-Paik and sevadars, will participate in the ‘Thurlu Khotla’ ritual. The ceremony involves forging the traditional tools required for the construction of the ceremonial chariot.
The Bastar Dussehra Committee has appealed to traditional functionaries, villagers and citizens to participate in the rituals and festivities.
Major rituals scheduled from September to October
According to the festival schedule, the ‘Deri Gadai’ ritual will be held on September 24, followed by the ‘Kachhangadi’ ritual on October 10. ‘Kalash Sthapana’ will take place on October 11, while the ‘Jogi Bithai’ ritual is scheduled for October 12.
Navratri worship and chariot circumambulation will be conducted daily from October 13 to 18. The ‘Bel Puja’ will be performed at 11 am on October 18, followed by ‘Maha-Ashtami Puja’ and ‘Nisha Jatra’ on October 19.
The ‘Kumari Puja’, ‘Jogi Uthai’ and ‘Mavali Parghav’ rituals will be held on October 20. The ‘Bhitar Raini’ ritual and chariot circumambulation are scheduled for October 21, followed by the ‘Bahar Raini’ ritual and chariot circumambulation on October 22.
Muria Darbar to mark a key festival event
On October 23, the ‘Kachhan Jatra’ will be held in the morning, while the historic ‘Muria Darbar’ will take place in the afternoon. The festival will formally conclude with the ‘Kutumb Yatra’ and farewell rituals for village deities on October 24.
The farewell ceremony for the ‘Mavali Mata’ palanquin will be held on October 27, bringing the principal ceremonial cycle of the 75-day festival to an end.
The Bastar Dussehra is distinguished from conventional Dussehra celebrations by its deep-rooted tribal traditions and does not centre on the burning of Ravana. Its elaborate rituals, chariot traditions, community participation and worship of Goddess Danteshwari make it one of the most distinctive cultural festivals of Chhattisgarh.
