PURI: More than four lakh devotees witnessed the famous Sunabesha of the Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra inside the sanctum sanctorum of Puri Temple on the occasion of Kartika Purnima on Saturday, the concluding day of holy Odia month Kartika. Hundreds of Kartik Brata observers, including local residents, on Saturday morning gathered at Pancha Tirtha (Indradyumna, Markanda, Narendra, Swetaganga and Mahodadhi (sea) and other water bodies to take a holy dip. Later, they rushed to Sri Jagannath Temple to offer prayers.
During holy bath, they also floated tiny boats on water bodies to mark the Boita Bandana ceremony, recounting the glorious past of overseas trade and commerce. They carried the holy basil tree (Tulasi) along with them and offered prayers placing it on the beach. They took holy dip in Mahodadhi, a 5 km stretch on the sea along the Puri coast, and offered prayers to the rising Sun. They took Mahaprasad and concluded their Kartik brata.
After performing the daily rituals, servitors dressed up the deities in gold ornaments for Sunabesha. The temple administration had also stopped the ongoing repairing work of Jagamohan for the month to facilitate observance of Brata.Hundreds of life guards were deployed along the sea beach to prevent drowning, while police officials were placed in and around the temple for smooth conduct of the ritual. Temple Chief Administrator and District Magistrate Arabind Agarwal and SP Sarthak Sarangi were present.
Similar Boita Bandana ceremonies were observed at Chandra Bhaga in Konark, Astaranga and in Chilika lake.Nayagarh: The five-day Panchuka Utsav was concluded on Kartika Purnima here on Saturday. Local MLA Arun Sahoo and Collector Arindam Dakua set on sail a decorated large boat on historic Sagar pond to celebrate Boita Bandana Utsav. Actress Barsha Priyadarshini and several BJD leaders were present. On the occasion, hundreds of devotees thronged the temples from early morning to offer prayer. At Gatishwar temple in Malisahi village, devotees enjoyed boat ride on a pond.
Boita Bandana in Jeypore
Jeypore: Hundreds of devotees thronged Gupteswar, the abode of Lord Shiva, on the occasion of Kartika Purnima. Devotees from Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh also congregated and took a holy bath in river Pataliganga before visiting the caved temple. Special rituals were performed on the last day of auspicious Kartika month. Similar rush was also found at Sabar Srikhetra Jagannath temple in Koraput town and Jeypore Jagannath temple. Jeypore Karitika Purnima Committee also organised a Boita Bandana Utsav at Jagannath pond.
Poor crowd management
Dhenkanal: Lakhs of devotees thronged famous Paschimeswar temple, 16 km from Dhenkanal town, and Kapilash to offer prayer on the occasion of Kartika Purnima on Saturday. Devotees faced inconvenience and expressed resentment over poor crowd management. They alleged police allowed all commuters, including two-wheelers and four-wheelers, to use the route where thousands of devotees queued up to visit the temple. As there was no barricade, devotees spent more than two hours to enter the temple premises. The festival was also celebrated at Bagirath Sagar, while Sandhyatara Sahitya Sansad organised a district-level Boita Bandana Utsav here.
Barbil: Kartika Purnima was celebrated with boat sailing rituals on the banks of river Karrow at Barbil. Thousands of devotees thronged the river banks from early morning to observe the day. A 15-ft boat made with eco-friendly materials like paper and thermocol was floated on the river to celebrate the festival amidst blowing of conch-shell. The Boita Bandana Utsav was organised by a cultural organisation, Niladree.
Port Day observed
Paradip: The Port Day was observed on the occasion of Kartik Purnima by Paradip Port Trust (PPT) authorities on Saturday. Chairman of PPT Rinkesh Roy inaugurated the festival and unfurled the port flag at Wet Basin. Then, he performed traditional Kalas Puja and handed over the sacred Kalas to Sadhavas, who boarded a traditionally decorated boat. The celebration of the Port Day is one of the symbols of rich age-old traditions of Odisha. It coincides with the Boita Bandana, which is a mass commemoration of the maritime glory of the people of Odisha, he said. Among others, Harbour Master and Paradip Port Captain AK Mohapatra and Deputy Chairman of PPT N Vaiyapuri were present.