Pariksha SaathiPresident Droupadi Murmu attends Bastar Dussehra programme at Jagdalpur; meets Manjhi and Chalki at the Muriya Darbar
President Droupadi Murmu addressed a public programme at Jagdalpur, Chhattisgarh, on 23 October 2026 on the occasion of Bastar Dussehra, calling the festival a vibrant symbol of Chhattisgarh's cultural pride and collective faith in which the entire community takes part. She said the region had been freed from Naxal violence through the coordinated efforts of the central and state governments, and urged that lessons be drawn from the nature-nurturing lifestyle of tribal communities. Before the programme she offered prayers at the Maa Danteshwari Temple and interacted with the local Manjhi and Chalki at the Muriya Darbar; she also visited the Rangoli and Dussehra exhibition at Jagdalpur.
Drafted with AI assistance from the official PIB release linked above and checked against it by a second AI pass. Not line-edited by a human.
Learning context
Bastar Dussehra is a 75-day-long festival. Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who took part in it at Jagdalpur on 4 October 2025, called it the largest cultural festival in the world and said the Rath Yatra of Maa Danteshwari, which began in the 14th century, initiated a cultural awakening across the Bastar region.
Check yourself: how many days does Bastar Dussehra last, and since which century has the Rath Yatra of Maa Danteshwari been held?
75 days; since the 14th century.
Revision task: from this release, note the place, the date, the darbar the President attended and whom she met there, and the temple she visited; from the note, the festival's length and the century in which its Rath Yatra began.
Test yourself
In which town did President Droupadi Murmu attend the Bastar Dussehra programme and the Muriya Darbar on 23 October 2026?
Show the answer
Answer: Jagdalpur
The President addressed the Bastar Dussehra public programme at Jagdalpur, Chhattisgarh, met the local Manjhi and Chalki at the Muriya Darbar and offered prayers at the Maa Danteshwari Temple there.
Read the daily collection → · Editorial standards & corrections