Bhubaneswar: The people of Odisha are celebrating Kartika Purnima by performing the Boita Bandana ritual in the early morning in various water bodies. People were seen floating various handmade boats with paan, betel, flower, and diyas at various water bodies including the sea, rivers, and ponds.
In view of the rush of the people, police units have been deployed near the water bodies for safety purposes. The temples across the state has also made arrangements for the rush of devotees and biota bandana.
The Kartika Purnima also marks the end of the month long Kartika Barta held by Habisiyalis.
The Boita Bandana ritual is observed by floating various handmade boats in the water bodies. The ritual is celebrated in memory of our ancestors who leaves on a journey to distant countries for trade on ships. In memory of their glorious legacy, the festival of Boita Bandana is celebrated today.
The people floated the boat in the morning while singing the traditional ‘Aka Ma Boi’ song. This is a prayer to keep the mariners safe during their voyage with the blessings earned during the holy month of Kartika. With this Boita Bandana utsav, the holy month of Kartika comes to an end.
Meanwhile, lakhs of devotees have arrived at holy city Puri on Kartika Purnima. They came to visit the Jagannath temple and witness the famous Suna Besha or Rajadhiraj besha of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Subhadra. A huge rush was witnessed at Mahodadhi or the sea and panchatirtha ponds since the wee hours of Monday as devotees set afloat miniature boats on the occasion of Kartika Purnima.
Meanwhile, hundreds of devotees thronged to the Bindu Sagar in Bhubaneswar for boita bandana.