Keslapur-Nagoba Jatara: All you want to know about Telangana’s biggest tribal festival in Adilabad

Adilabad: Keslapur Nagoba Jatara, one of the most famous tribal religious events in Telangana, is set to begin on January 28 with the Mahapuja of the serpent god Nagoba, the clan god of the Buigoita Mesram clan of Raj Gond and Pardhan tribals of the erstwhile united Adilabad district.

The month-long preparations for this annual event have begun in earnest with the Mesrams starting their barefoot journey, the Gangajal Yatra, on the 10th of this month.

The Jatara is the Persa Pen puja or the worship of the supreme god of the Mesram clan. Most other clans within the Raj Gond fold celebrate the Persa Pen Puja during Bhavai month, which coincides with May.

The Gangajal Yatra involves a walkathon ranging between 100 km and 200 km by the Mesram clan people to fetch the sacred water from the Godavari river which is used in purification ceremonies during the event. Only devout who wish to brave the extreme hardship of this barefoot walkathon that takes them through dense forest, across agricultural fields, and rocky and hilly terrain, join the journey.

All the pilgrims walk in a single file which presents an absolute aesthetic picture when they cover the route through different types of surroundings. This year, some 130 enthusiasts have joined the Gangajal Yatra. It will reach the Hastinamadugu point in Godavari in Kalamadugu of Jannaram mandal, Mancherial district on January 17.

The Gangajal Yatra features some departures from the past. The Mesram clan has adopted some significant changes which can be termed minor reforms.

The reformist changes include barring students from joining the 15-day yatra, stipulating sporting of traditional dhoti-kurta by the pilgrims and most important ban on the use of mobile phones by the participants during the entire journey.

"Students were not allowed to participate in the walkathon as the long event will result in bunking of classes by them," said Mesram Manohar, a Pardhan elder and tribal educationist who is currently looking after the welfare of particularly vulnerable tribal groups in Utnoor ITDA.

Absenteeism due to participation in religious events by Adivasi students is known to result in a higher dropout ratio among Aboriginals in erstwhile Adilabad.

Mesram Venkat Rao, the Patel of Keslapur, and head priest Mesram Kose Rao demanded the government modify the academic calendar for Adivasis. They said if the students get vacations according to the tribal festivals, the dropout rate can be controlled.

The head priest, Mesram Dada Rao, who is leading the walkathon, was happy about the ban on the use of mobile phones during the Gangajal Yatra. "The Yatra is undertaken with absolute piety and cellphones can be a great source of distraction for the youth," he opined.

"It is our experience that youngsters take to social media whenever we make a halt. This defeats the purpose of purity of mind," he added.