Nagoba Jatara (Keslapur)

Introduction

The Nagoba Jatara is held at Keslapur in Indravelli mandal, Adilabad district, Telangana. It is the great clan festival of the Mesram clan of the Gond and Pardhan Adivasi communities, who worship Nagoba – the divine serpent – as their Persa Pen, the supreme deity of the clan. The jatara begins in the month of Pushya, with the Mahapuja on the night of Pushya Amavasya, and continues for about ten days. It is one of the largest Adivasi gatherings in Telangana, alongside the Medaram Jatara.

Significance and Legend

For the Mesram families, Nagoba is the ancestral deity who protects the clan, and the jatara renews their bond with him and with one another. The rites are conducted entirely by the clan's own elders and priests, according to customs handed down through the generations. One of the most important of these is the bringing of holy water from the Godavari: in the days before the jatara, elders of the clan walk barefoot to the river to collect the sacred water that will be used for the Mahapuja.

How it is Celebrated

• Preparations: with the start of Pushya masam, the Mesram elders set out on foot for the Godavari and return with the holy water, which is kept with great care until the jatara.
• Mahapuja: on the night of Pushya Amavasya the Mesrams perform the Mahapuja to Nagoba at the temple, marking the start of the jatara.
• Bheting: brides who have joined the clan through marriage since the last jatara, dressed in white saris, come in procession to the Sati shrine to worship the seven stones representing the clan's divine ancestors, and then worship Nagoba – after which they are fully welcomed into the clan.
• Clan pujas: further rituals for the clan's deities are performed over the following days.
• Praja Darbar: during the jatara, Adivasi leaders place the concerns of their communities before ministers and district officials at a public darbar.
• Offerings: devotees offer prayers according to their own customs; some families, by tradition, make offerings of fowls or goats at a place away from the shrine.

Rituals and Puja

• The Mahapuja with the holy Godavari water, led by the Mesram elders.
• The Bheting ceremony for new brides.
• Darshan of Nagoba by Adivasi and other devotees from Telangana and neighbouring states.

Foods and Offerings

• Holy water of the Godavari, brought on foot by the elders.
• Offerings prepared by each family according to clan custom.

Temples Known for this Festival

The jatara is centred on the Nagoba temple at Keslapur, Indravelli mandal, Adilabad district.

The Nagoba Jatara begins on the night of Pushya Amavasya; the dates are announced by the Mesram elders and will be added here once announced.