Lanjigarh: The three-day Niyam raja festival atop the Niyamgiri hills in Kalahandi district has proved to be an occasion for local people to express that they won't allow any kind of mining in the bauxite-rich hills.

The festival, held from Friday to Sunday, became a platform for the Dongria and Jharania Kondhs - the dominant inhabitants of the hills - for renewing their pledge to fight the companies eyeing to mine the bauxite of the hills.

Thousands of Dongria and Jharania Kondh people from at least 70 villages in the Niyamgiri hills of Kalahandi and adjoining Rayagada districts took part in the annual festival dressed in their traditional attire.

The festival, however, got a boost in 2013 when the tribal people emerged victorious in the 12 gram sabhas held on the Supreme Court order to decide mining in the hills.

Since then the Niyam raja festival has become an expression of the local villagers' fight against illegal mining in the Niyamgiri.

The 15-year-old festival has its roots in the local belief that the sacred hill is their god and will forever act as their source of livelihood and they got to protect it at any cost.

Lada Sikaka of the Niyamgiri Surakhya Samiti said the hills were theirs, and under no circumstances, they were going to part with it.

"Niyamgiri is our god and spiritual identity. It gives livelihood to the thousands of mountain dwellers. We can't think about giving these hills to the companies for mining. We will fight to protect Niyamgiri till the end," he said.

Bhima Majhi, another local villager, said the Niyamgiri inhabitants would lose their livelihood if the bauxite-rich hill was allowed for mining.

"We will not allow any kind of mining in the Niyamgiri. This festival shows our unity for the cause of the tribal. Earlier, we had proved our unity in all the 12 gram sabhas," Majhi said.

Dasuru Kadaraka of the samiti, who had spent two years in jail, was felicitated on the occasion. Noted poet Hemanta Dalapati was also honoured in the festival.

Activists of several organisations such as Prashant Paikray of the Posco Pratirodh Samiti, Balakrishna Sandh of the Solar Power Plant Movement, Kalyan Anand of Lokasakti Abhijaan, Subhas Pulasika of the Loka Sangram Manch, Narendra Mohanty of the Banabasi Surakhya Parishad and Ramesh Mahapatra of the Paschim Odisha Krushak sangathan among others extended their support to the cause of the tribal.