(Top) Women float a miniature boat in the river Mahanadi, Cuttack and (below) tourists perform the ritual in Puri. Pictures by Badrika Nath Das and Sarat Patra

Cuttack/Bhubaneswar, Nov. 10: Suman Mohanty today appeared overjoyed as she sailed a boat for the first time on the Mahanadi.

A native of Cuttack, the five-year-old girl has been staying with her parents in Delhi and had never been a part of the Boita Bandana celebrations in the state.

Like her, thousands gathered by the Mahanadi riverbed in the city this morning to keep alive an ancient tradition of the state when traders from Orissa used to sail for faraway islands such as Bali, Java and Sumatra.

Reminiscing the past glory, people also floated tiny boats in waterbodies to commemorate the rich maritime past of the state at Gadagadia Ghat, Debi Ghat and in all other major waterbodies.

A huge traditional boat was also set sail on the Mahanadi with seven men playing the role of sadhaba and seven women enacting as their wives to recreate a legendary tale related to the ceremony of Boita Bandana.

“I loved the ritual of sailing the miniature boat. I enjoyed myself a lot with my parents,” said young Suman.

The holy city of Puri was also thronged by devotees who had observed special rituals of Kartik month that concluded on Thursday.

While the main attraction for thousands of devotees was the Puri temple, where Lord Jagannath was dressed up as Rajarajeswar and ornamented with gold (known as Suna Besa), the Puri beach also saw people, mostly old women, observing Kartik Purnima rituals.

The scene was similar in Paradip, Kendrapara, Balasore and Chilika. Firecrackers were burst and miniature boats sailed in waterbodies in these areas.

In Bhubaneswar, the Bindu Sagar tank was filled with colourful paper, thermocol and banana-stem boats. Families were also seen observing Boita Bandana rituals at the Kuakhai and Daya rivers.

“There are a number of reasons for Danga Bhasani or Boita Bandana being so special to Oriya families. Since the state is situated by the sea and we have a strong maritime culture, this event is an integral part of our traditions,” said Binapani Swain, a devotee.

“For those who observed the Kartika Habisha rituals, this auspicious day also has a spiritual significance since we devotees sail the boats and pray to the lord to let us sail across the world of the mortal to that of the divine,” she said.

A number of cultural programmes were also held across the twin cities of Cuttack and Bhubaneswar to commemorate the festival.