Kartik Purnima celebrated in Odisha

Bhubaneswar: People of all ages flocked to rivers and other water bodies in Odisha on Monday on the occasion of Kartik Purnima and floated miniature boats to commemorate the ancient maritime history of Kalinga.

The festival is known as 'Boita Bandana' (boat worship) and is celebrated on a full moon night in the month of Kartik.

Huge congregations, including by women and children, were seen at the Bindu Sagar tank near Shree Lingaraj temple and Kuakhia river in Bhubaneswar, at Gadagadia ghat on Mahanadi river in Cuttack and ponds in different places across the state.

The festival is also celebrated at the 12th century Shree Jagannath temple in Puri, where the sibling deities Lord Jagannath, Goddess Subhadra and Lord Balabhadra are adorned in golden attire, a ritual called 'Raja Rajeswari Bhesa'.

Expecting a huge rush at the shrine, the temple administration kept open the temple for darshan the entire night on Sunday, an official of the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration said.

Tight security and traffic management steps were taken near the major water bodies here and in Cuttack where a large number of people gathered since the early morning hours.

Odisha Governor Raghubar Das, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan greeted the people of the state on the occasion.

The festival celebrates the ancient maritime history of Kalinga, the old name of Odisha, when traders, then called 'Sadhabas' used to embark on voyages to islands in south east Asia as Java, Sumatra and Bali for business. Their family members are said to have performed 'Boita Bandana' by floating small boats for their safe return.

The practice continues to this day. While the people of yore used banana stems and coconut timber, the majority of the boats now are made of paper and thermocol and carry lighted lamps, betel leaves, flowers, milk and coins.

Prayers are offered to keep the mariners safe during their voyage.

“I get up early and come to Kuakhai river every year and float miniature boats to celebrate our rich maritime history. My family continues to use the traditional boats made up of banana stems and coconut sticks,” said Priyanka Nanda, a Bhubaneswar citizen.