News:Odisha’s Ganjam district administration has banned the Meru Jatra festival and congregations due to Covid-19.
Facts:
- Meru Jatra marks the end of the 21-day-long festival of penance named ‘Danda Nata’.
Danda Nata Festival:
- It is a 21-day long seasonal folk dance festival that is celebrated in the month of ‘Chaitra’.
- During the festival, people who participate in the festival(Danduas) undergo self-inflicted pain to pay their obeisance to the lord Kali.It is also a form of worshipping the lord Shiva and his consort Parvati.
