Harirajpur’s Dola Melana: A unique festival of colours and fireworks set to begin today

The Panchudola Melana of Lord Paschimasambhu Somanath Dev is set to commence at Harirajpur in Jatni, near Odisha's Bhubaneswar on Monday. This marks the beginning of the annual religious gathering that draws devotees from several nearby villages. 

The first day of the Melana will be observed on Monday, while the Jamana Utsav was held on Sunday.

As part of the celebrations, Lord Paschimasambhu Somanath Dev arrived at the Dola Bedi seated on a decorated Dola Bimana, accompanied by traditional musical instruments and dance performances. 

The ceremonial procession formed an important part of the opening rituals of the festival.

Large Gathering of Devotees

A large number of devotees from nearby areas gathered to witness the Jamana Utsav, with lakhs of people reportedly attending the event. 

The festival traditionally attracts devotees and visitors from across the region, who come to take part in the rituals and festivities.

Various cultural events are usually organised for the entertainment of devotees, including performances of bhajans and melody programmes during the course of the festival.

The fireworks display emerged as one of the main attractions of the event, drawing considerable attention from the gathered devotees.

Unique Holi Tradition

Harirajpur’s Dola Melana is also known as the Panchu Dola festival because the deities of five major Shiva temples participate in the Melana. Lord Paschimasambhu Somanath Dev, the presiding deity of Harirajpur, symbolically invites other deities to the village to celebrate Holi.

During the festival, deities from around 80 nearby villages are brought to Harirajpur in colourful processions carried in their palanquins. The ritual celebrations of Holi continue for four days as part of the Melana.

Festival With Historical Roots

The Melana is believed to date back to the 17th century. According to local accounts, the festival was started in 1637 by two villagers, Babaji Gobardhan Das and Nitei Sahu.

Also Read: Chacheri Besha: Lord Jagannath’s Crimson Adornment During Dola Yatra

Fireworks remain another key attraction of Harirajpur’s Melana. Devotees offer fireworks to the deities as a form of devotion, instead of presenting edible or monetary offerings.

The festival will continue until March 12.