Dola utsav of Orissa!
Worshipping of Radha and Krishna in the swing festival is the main event during the six-day long festival. The festival is also known as Dola Yatra or Dola Jatra.
From the Phalgun Dasami tithi, the idol of village deities, especially that of Krishna, are carried to all the homes in the villages. People carrying the idols and those in the procession are smeared with Abira/gulal.
The colours of the powders have symbolic meanings. Blue represents Krishna, Red represents love and fertility, green symbolises spring and new growth and yellow is the colour of turmeric.
The idols are carried on a decorated palanquin, known as Vimana, and the procession is accompanied by singers and musicians. In each home, the deity is offered Bhog/ sweets made from the recent harvest and fruits.
On Dola Purnima, the idols carried in palanquins from various nearby villages assemble at one place called Melana Padia.The swings are fixed on one platform. The procession is led by village drummers, pipers and the ‘Sankirtana Mandalis’.This festival is also known as Madanautsav/Basantutsav & heralds the onset of spring.
On the Dola Purnima day, there is the burning of demon Holika, which is known as Holipoda. There is another myth also in Orissa and it is killing of demon Mesha. It is believed that Mesha, who was a terror on earth and heaven, was killed and burned to ashes by Krishna. This is known as Meshapodi or Mendhapodi.
The new almanac is also officially read from dola' Purnima.The festival becomes all the more significant for Bengalis, as this is also the birthday of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (1485–1533). He was a great Vaishnava saint, who popularized modern sankirtana. He elevated the passion of Radha and Krishna to a high spiritual plane. Followers of Chaitanya School of Gaudiya Vaishnavism believe Chaitanya to be the manifestation of Krishna!Lord Jagannatha is worshipped as Dola Govinda during Dola purnima and Lord Govinda with Goddess Sridevi are placed on the dola bedi.
On dola' Purnima,the four deities appear in the "RajaDhiraj"vesha or popularly known as "suna vesha".