By Our Correspondent
BHUBANESWAR/PURI: Lakhs of devotees were on Tuesday morning throng to Lord Jagannath Temple in Puri and Lord Lingaraj Temple in Bhubaneswar to offer prayers on the occasion of ‘Kartika Purnima’.
The majestic ‘Chandan Pokhari’ in Puri and Bindu Sagar in Bhubaneswar wore festive look with thousands of devotees floated paper boats to mark the occasion. A huge crowd also thronged to Daya and Kuakhai rivers.
Other Temples in Bhubaneswar like Ram Mandir, ISKCON, Mausi Maa, Kedar Gouri, Kapileswar, Anata Basudev, Chintamaniswar, Budheswari and Dhabaleswar at Dhauli Hills atop also witnessed large crowds with police have made adequate security measures for the devotees. Near about 10 platoons of forces have been deployed at Lingaraj Temple in State Capital.
Lakhs gathered in Puri to witness Golden Attire ( Suna Besa) of Lord Jagannath. Sources said, all customary rituals going on peacefully in Shri Mandir.
Kartika Purnima is celebrated with Boita Bandana, a mass commemoration of the maritime glory of the people of Odisha. This day also marks the end of the holy month of Kartika.
The East Coast Railway is running special trains on 12/11/2019 (Tuesday) for ensuring easy conveyance and clearing extra rush of passengers on Kartik Purnima in Puri.
Train no- 06843, a special passenger train is running from Puri to Palasa on the occasion. The train will leave Puri at 2 PM.
Similarly, the Railway authorities have extended the services of Puri-Khurda Road Passenger. The train- 58404 from Puri to Khurda on November 12 will now run up to Nayagarh town
The month of Kartika is glorified in the Puranas as one of the sacred months in the traditional Hindu lunar calendar. It is celebrated on the full moon day or the fifteenth day of the lunar month of Kartika (November –December). The whole of the Kartika month is considered holiest of the months and people observe fast during this month which is well known as Kartika Damodar Brata in Odisha.
In Odisha, the occasion of Kartika Purnima is well known as Boita Bandana Utsav in Odisha in the month of Kartika. This day is marked as utmost holy and all the Hindus celebrate it with joy and fervour.
Mainly the old widows follow this month as sacred and offer prayer and listen to pravachan and also bhajan, kirtan while keeping fast.
The oldies, called ‘Habisyalis’ visit Puri for a monthly stay and pay their gratitude to the Gods near the Tulsi plant. Most of the people in this month do not take non-veg due to Kartika brata. The Odia people are very particular about this Kartika brata as this is a holy month.
The Purnima day or the full moon day is noticed as the end of the month of Kartika. On this day the remarkable Boita Bandana Utsav takes place every year.
In Odisha, there is a maritime history attached with this holy occasion. The business community marks this occasion as the day which is historically very important for them. Years back those business community sailed to many miles in search of establishing their business. They created this maritime history and they were well known as “Sadhabas”.
