Berhampur Budhi Thakurani Yatra festival begins.

After 2 years, the month-long famous Budhi Thakurani Yatra festival will be held in Berhampur, Odisha. It is one of the biggest festivals of Berhampur town in Odisha. She is the presiding deity of Silk city.

As per Tradition Desibehera P. Durgaprasad, traditional head of this festival, celebrations will start from March 29 and continue for 32 days. 

Maa Budhi Thakurani

Thakurani Jatra festival

The Month Long biennial (every two years) festival of Goddess Budhi Thakurani began here on Friday in the city of Berhampur (the silk city), Odisha. It also is known as Ghata Yatra. 

A sea of devotees come to Silk City to participate in the festival of the deity.


It marks worship of Goddess Buddhi Thakurani who is considered the protector of Behrampur. 


Goddess Buddhi Thakurani is a traditional deity of silk handloom weavers or Dera community of Berhampur. Deras weaver community worship the goddess Budhi Thakurani.

As per tradition and rituals, during the festival time, Durga Prasad Desibehera and his wife reached the main Temple to invite the Goddess to the temporary abode.

The yatra started late on Friday with all rituals. He bought a flower, considered as a mark of permission of the Goddess and placed it on Kalash(Ghatam) along with eight other ghatams at the temporary abode kicking of the yatra.

Idol of the goddess is taken out in procession to different streets to facilitate residents worship her at their own doorsteps. 


Everywhere devotional atmosphere, devotees are dressed up as mythological characters from the Mahabharata and Ramayana.


They move around the city on foot, bicycles, rickshaws, etc. Children below five years dress up as these characters.


Due to history, the first Thakurani Yatra celebrated in 1779 when the Dera(weavers) community of the city and their head Desibehera played a major role.

The Dera community is originally from Andhra Pradesh and king of Mahuri Kingdom Narendra Dev had got settled in Berhampur. The King was too much impressed by their weaving skills on Silk saree and later Berhampur became famous for its Silk saree and named the place as Silk City.

Today is Sheetala Ashtami Puja.

After the week of Holi, the date of Ashtami is celebrated as Sheetla Ashtami. According to this Ashtami, Basoda Puja is celebrated on Asthami of Krishna Paksha in Chaitra month (April-May). This special day is worshiped to Goddess Shitala Mata(One Avatar of Goddess Durga).

This festival is popularly celebrated in Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan.  They have the power to get rid of every disease. It is believed that worshiping Goddess Sheetla Mata, there is protection from all kinds of diseases such as measles, boil, chicken pox or eye disease etc. 

You will also find these descriptions in the Skanda Purana. On this day, people wake up in the early morning and take a bath with cold water, wear new saree and reach to worshiping the Goddess in Shitala Mata's temple. 

Devotees offer a cold meal, which is kept in the night before one night like puri, Jalebi, halwa, Curd, rabdi etc.

Many women come here to seek the blessings of the Goddess for their children.

Goddess Sheetla Mata

Story of Goddess Sheetla Mata

This is a Very old story. One day Goddess Sheetala Mata thinks who is worshipping me or respect me on earth. She thinks and reaches a place Rajasthan Dunguri village, She saw that people don't worship me and there is no temple.

She roams every corner of the village, at that time from a house someone throws the hot rice water. That hot water falls on Sheetla Mata and body burnt.

She runs everywhere for help but nobody comes to help her. At that time a potter women saw that old woman fully burnt and feeling sick. 

She calls and told to sit here, put the cold water on Goddess Sheetla Mata and told to eat the previous night dish rabdi and curd. The old women feel comfortable by eating these dishes.

She told to sit here and try to tie her hair but she shocked by seeing an eye on the back side. She frightened and run away, at that time the old women told don't be frightened I am not a ghost, I am Goddess Sheetla Mata. I come to land to know who worship me or not. Goddess Sheetla maa comes in her actual image.

The potter women thoughts I am very poor and there is no place to sit in my home. Goddess calls her and told what are you thinking, She cries and told there is no single chair to sit and every single person in this village is poor.

Goddess Shitala Devi rides on a donkey, and she has four arms. In her hands, she carries a silver broom, a fan, a small bowl, and a pot of water. She uses these items to rid a house of poor–she sweeps up the poor with her broom, uses the fan to collect them, and dumps them into the bowl. She then sprinkles water from the pot (which is water from the river Ganges) to purify the house. 

Shitala’s name means “the cooling one”. With the change of seasons and coming off the hot period, it is essential to emphasize the importance of hygiene for human health and the worship of Shitala Mata provides the motivation to keep the surroundings clean and hygienic.

She blessed her and told from now the main priest of this temple will be a potter. At that time the villagers made Goddess Sheetla Mata temple.

Without these things Holi festival is incomplete.

Holi is the festival of colors and is celebrated on the full moon day in the month of Phagun. It is the festival of love or colors. 

1. Holi or Gulal

When Holi comes first Gulal comes in our mind, without gulal holi is incomplete. From various color, Pink and red color people love too much.

2. Gujiya Sweets

Holi is incomplete without this traditional recipe that is Gujiya. Gujiya is a sweet flour dumpling that is stuffed with ingredients like Khoya, dry fruits, coconut, and jaggery. It is fried and then dipped in sugar syrup.

3. Play Holi with Lord Krishna and Radha

Holi is celebrated as a festival of Love. The Gaudiya took the palanquin of Lord Krishna and Radha by singing Hare Krishna chant and put the holi color to each other.

4. Holi Mubarak

Every single person put the love of color to each other by telling Holi Mubarak.

5. Holi Celebration by playing DJ

Some area peoples to make the Holi festival memorable dance with Dj Holi song.

Dola Purnima: Village people celebrates the festival of Colours.

Holi is also known as Dola Purnima in Odisha.  

On Dola Purnima day, everyone wakes up in the morning and dress up in saffron-colored clothes and wear yellow marigold flowers. They Sing and dance by chanting Hare Krishna Mantra in the temple.

"Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare"

"Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare"

Lord Krishna

This festival is known as Dola Jatra, Dola Purnima or Swing festival. It is celebrated on the full-moon day in the month of Phalguna. The festival is celebrated by placing the small idols of Lord Krishna and Goddess Radha on a decorated Pipili Applique palanquin which is then taken around the main streets of the city. 

Throughout the procession led by the village drummers, pipers and Sankirtana Mandalis comes in front of each household and offered bhog like chenna(Paneer), Banana(Yellow banana), Guda(Jaggery) to the deity. The people carrying the Idols and smear each other with dry colors (abira).