Bhubaneswar: November 12: Today is Kartika Purnima i.e. the full moon day of the Hindu Month of Kartika. Like earlier years, people gathered near the different water bodies & celebrated the festival by setting afloat miniature boats after necessary rituals and visited temples.
It is known as Boita Bandana Festival in Odisha. In the early morning, people go to the rivers, ponds and other water bodies with tiny boats, lamps, betel leaves and fruits to set afloat the boats and sing the song ‘Aa Ka Ma Boi, Pana Gua Thoi; Pana Gua Tora, Masaka Dharama Mora’.
The glory of Odisha’s maritime heritage is acknowledged by the Boita Bandana tradition on the day of Kartika Purnima. Traders of Odisha(erstwhile Kalinga), known as Saadhabas used to set off Boats from Ports of Odisha to different destinations like Bali, Sumatra, Borneo and Sri Lanka. The Womenfolk pray for their wellbeing and safe passage.
To keep the memory alive and glorify the maritime history, people of Odisha have been celebrating the Boita Bandana Festival every year on the day of Kartika Purnima.
