Women float miniature boats in the Mahanadi on Thursday. Picture by Badrika Nath Das

Bhubaneswar, Nov. 6: People sailed miniature boats in ponds and rivers across the state to celebrate Boita Bandana, recalling Odisha’s maritime tradition, on the occasion of Kartik Purnima today.

The festival that marks end of the holy month of Kartik saw people of all ages flocking to the nearby water bodies in the morning to set afloat their toy boats, made of paper and other material.

“We came to Bindusagar, the holy tank we always visit on this day, to sail boats and then have a darshan of Lord Lingaraj in the temple nearby. Thousands of devotees had gathered at the pond with toy boats to celebrate Odisha’s maritime tradition,” said BJB Nagar resident Surabhi Sutar.

The beautifully decorated boats of various colours and sizes with earthen lamps on them gave Bindusagar a captivating look.

The devotees also thronged the banks of the Daya and Kuakhai rivers, apart from the Gangua canal, to celebrate Boita Bandana.

Police had taken steps for smooth conduct of the rituals by the devotees.

“We took every possible step to ensure that the festival went smoothly. Our men were deployed at several places, including Bindusagar and Kedargouri ponds at Old Town and the Gangua setu at Mancheswar, where a large number of people sailed miniature boats,” said police commissioner R.P. Sharma.

“When I was young, the festival used to be observed with much more grandeur. But, we need to keep observing the rituals related to the tradition to make the younger generations aware of the maritime glory of the state,” said Radhika Mohanty, a septuagenarian resident of Old Town.

In Cuttack, the festival was celebrated with the same enthusiasm and fervour.

The city has a glorious maritime past, which is remembered through Bali yatra, organised on the banks of the Mahanadi.

“Many people had gathered at the Gadagadia ghat to set afloat boats made of paper and banana barks and it was good to see people of all ages coming together to keep the tradition alive. The onset of winter had not deterred them from celebrating early in the morning,” said Tulasipur resident Satyabrat Das.

The fire services department was on alert and had deployed two rescue teams at the Gadagadia ghat today. A huge traditional boat also sets sail on the Mahanadi river to commemorate the traditions associated with Boita Bandana.

Thousand of devotees also thronged the Puri temple where Lord Jagannath was dressed up as Rajarajeswar and bedecked with gold, known as suna besa. The Boita Bandana rituals were also observed in Dhenkanal, Paradip, Kendrapara, Balasore, Rourkela and Chilika.

Apart from the rich cultural tradition, the festival is a business opportunity for those engaged in the making and the selling of the miniature boats. Cuttack-based 32-year-old Sk Wasim has been making such boats for the past eight years.

“Making boats for the celebrations gives me a lot of pleasure and my business was quite profitable this year,” said Wasim.