Berhampur: The 13-day-long Danda Nata in Ganjam district ended on Tuesday with the ‘dandus’, the main actors of the popular seasonal folk dance, celebrated Meru on the occasion of the Maha Visubha Sankranti, also called as the Meru Sankranti. On the occasion of Meru, Pata Dandua, the main character of the Danda Nata, walked on the fire amid beating of drums, while several onlookers witnessed the horrifying scene. It also declared the end of the Danda Nata, which is celebrated in almost all villages and towns of the district for the last 13 days. The Danda Nata was also held for 21 days in some places of the district. Drawn from various castes, hundreds of people, known as Dandua, were practising austerity measures during the period to appease Lord Shiva and goddess Shakti. They ate only once in 24 hours, every midnight, while spending sleepless nights during the period. With bare feet and bodies, holding flags, groups of participants walked miles in rows to perform the dance which includes mostly physical sufferings like rolling on the hot dust mid-day, known as dhuli danda, dancing in water in the evening (pani danda), while dancing on fire (agni danda) at midnight during the period. Thousands of people throng temples of the goddess to witness Meru, while police make elaborate security arrangements. “No untoward incident was reported from anywhere during Meru celebrations,” said police.Considering the day was highly auspicious, transcending caste divide, people offered pana (the sweet water), prepared from water, fruits, curd, milk and sugar or jaggery to the Lord and the goddess and shared it among the devotees. Several organisations also distributed the pana and food on the occasion.
