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Nagoba Jatara Festival

Type :Culture
Month : February
Location : Mandal, Adilabad, Telangana

It is the second biggest tribal carnival and celebrated by Mesaram clan of Gond tribes for 10 days.

Nagoba Jatara is a tribal festival held in Keslapur village, Inderavalley Mandal Adilabad district, Telangana, India. It is the second biggest tribal carnival and celebrated by Mesaram clan of Gond tribes for 10 days. Tribal people from Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Orissa and Madhya Pradesh belonging to the Mesram clan offer prayers at the festival. Thousands of Tribal people from Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Orissa, Karnataka, Jharkhand and Madhya Pradesh belonging to the Mesaram clan offer prayers at the festival Nagoba. It's Starts in pushyamasam.

The 10-day festival has begun after tribal priests performed abhishekam to Nagoba idol at the temple in Keslapur with water fetched by them from river Godavari in Jannaram mandal, 70 km away from the village.

The myriad hues of the lifestyle and culture of the people inhabiting this vast country forms an essential part of Indian tourism and dons it with a garb of uniqueness. The Nagoba Jatara that occurs in the village of Keslapur in Adilabad district is one such unique event. Located at a distance of 32 km from Adilabad district center, Keslapur has been donned a special significance in tourism itineraries owing to the occurrence of this Jatara

Nagoba Jatara Celebrations:

  • Rituals performed at Keslapur Nagoba Jatara begin in the morning, the Mesram elders will place the sacred ‘jhari’, a 1,400-year-old water container before performing it’s puja.
  • The group of Gond and Pradhan elders who had fetched holy water with pots from HastinaMadugu of river Godavari in Jannaram Mandal was given a traditional welcomeunder the old banyan tree.
  • Before the start of the pujas, the Gonds continue to ‘purify’ the temple with Ganga Jal or water from the Godavari drawn at a spot called ‘HastinaMadugu’ where Nagoba isbelieved to have quenched his thirst after partaking the ‘naivedyam’.
  • The event also includes a ceremony called ‘bheting’, which incorporates new brides into the clan. The Raj Gond Adivasis of Adilabad follow an elaborate ritual called Bheting, one of their many regalistic ceremonies, through which new daughters in law are formally introduced to the clan. All those who are married into the clanduring the last year need to ‘meet’ clan deities through Bheting so that they become eligible to enter the deity’s temple.
  • The women clad in white saris are the BhetiKoriad or daughters in law to be introduced to goddess Jangubai and belong to the eight clans which have Jangubai as the clan deity.
  • The naivedyam carried in the bamboo baskets is made of freshly harvested food grains. The bamboo denotes the connection of the Gonds with the jungles while the naivedyam offering is a matter of thanksgiving for the crop harvested.
  • Adivasi celebrates with music and more than 15 types of dances.
  • The Gusadi Dance performance by dancers from the Gond tribe is a major special attraction of the event.
  • Gonds pilgrims and priests will play traditional folk music at the entrance of the Jangubai cave temple located in the hilly forest of Kota-Parandoli gram panchayat in Kerameri Revenue Mandal.
  • Later Gond women carry on with their daily grind, including grinding grain, with a smile on their face.
  • The women in the given group coming on pilgrimage to Jangubai caves prepare food at the spot, a small shed having been earmarked for the purpose.
  • In the night, the Gonds performed the Mahapuja of Nagoba, also known as Persa Pen or great god, which marks the actual beginning of the annual tribal fair.

How to Get There

By Air

364 km away Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, Hyderabad, Telangana and 272 km away Sonegaon Airport, Nagpur, Maharashtra connect with all other major cities of India and the world by frequent flights.

By Rail

Nearest Railhead is Wardha JN Rail Way Station is major railway station 156 KM near to Keslapur which is connect with all the major southern cities.

By Road

Kesalpur to Adilabad is connected by bus 38 kms. From here you can get bus to all the major southern and western Indian states. Hyderabad 304 Kms, Pune 555 Kms, Aurangabad 455 Kms.

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