President Murmu prays at Maa Danteshwari temple and joins Bastar Dussehra's Muria Darbar
Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai said it may be the first time a President has taken part in the tribal assembly at the heart of the 75-day festival.
- The Hindu
- ANI
President Droupadi Murmu visited the Maa Danteshwari temple in Jagdalpur, headquarters of Chhattisgarh's Bastar district, on Friday and offered prayers for the well-being of people across the country, officials said, according to The Hindu. She was accompanied by Governor Ramen Deka and Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai and was given a traditional welcome at the shrine, where she performed rituals.
Chief Minister Sai called the visit a moment of pride for Bastar and said Maa Danteshwari, the presiding deity of the region, holds a special place in its faith and cultural life. The President then took part in the Muria Darbar, a historic tradition of the Bastar Dussehra in which tribal community leaders and priests meet, ANI reported.
"I am also one of you. I am also the daughter of a Majhi," she said, thanking the communities for keeping their culture and traditions alive.
She said the Constitution and the traditional systems of tribal society share the aim of happiness, peace and harmony, and called the "internal Constitution" of tribal society "even more beautiful and meaningful". Murmu urged villagers to settle family and land disputes through traditional leaders such as the Majhi and Pargana rather than spending years in police stations and courts.
She asked people to keep praying to their local deities for the welfare of their communities and to stay united against attempts by Naxalites to mislead them. "Change your thinking with time, but do not change your tradition," she said, while stressing education for children.
She was also scheduled to address a public gathering at Lal Bagh ground in Jagdalpur as part of the festival.
Key data
Visit on 23 Oct in Jagdalpur. Accompanied by Governor Ramen Deka and CM Vishnu Deo Sai. Muria Darbar is part of the Bastar Dussehra festival.
Why it matters
Bastar Dussehra honours the Devī rather than Rāma's victory, and its blend of temple ritual and tribal self-government is one of the oldest living forms of Hindu-tribal religious life. A presidential visit puts that tradition on the national stage.
GK: did you know?
Bastar Dussehra is one of the longest festivals in India, running for about 75 days, and is dedicated to the goddess Danteshwari rather than to Rāma's victory over Rāvaṇa.
