On the occasion of Buddha Purnima, a three-day programme ‘Yashodhara’ is being organised on the Jatak stories of Lord Buddha. The event will be held at Madhya Pradesh State Tribal Museum from Saturday.

The event will be inaugurated on Saturday at 7.00 pm. In the evening, on Saturday, a dance drama Swarnamarg will be staged. The dance drama is directed by Chandra Madhav Barik. On next day i.e. Sunday play Satyabodh will be performed. It is directed by Raverendra Kushwaha, (Gondan). On the last day i.e. on Monday, Vritti Nashik dance drama will be presented. It is directed by Vaishali Gupta.

It is to be noted that the Jataka tales are a voluminous body of literature native to India concerning the previous births of Gautama Buddha in both human and animal form. The future Buddha may appear as a king, an outcast, a god, an elephant but, in whatever form, he exhibits some virtue that the tale thereby inculcates.

Often, Jataka tales include an extensive cast of characters who interact and get into various kinds of trouble whereupon the Buddha character intervenes to resolve all the problems and bring about a happy ending.

These Jataka tales have also been displayed in the world through statues and paintings. Jataka tales have been mentioned in the Stupas of World Heritage in Madhya Pradesh. Through these stories, efforts have been made to explain policy and human beings through entertainment. These Jataka tales are artistic in whole meaning even while being preachy.

The form of these stories is also of folk literature, in which there are stories of animals and birds and also of humans. Through the theatrical stage, the moral values contained in Mahatma Buddha's Jataka tales have been attempted to be expressed in a better way before the public through a ceremony.

Presentations will be in the museum auditorium from 7:00 p.m. every day.