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Kartik Purnima, also known as Rasa Purnima is the full moon day or the fifteenth lunar day of the holy month of Kartik.Karik Masa is considered as the most sacred and holy month in the Hindu calendar. The day is celebrated with much religious fervor.
As this month is said to be the most holy month and the most important month for Odias, they do not eat non-veg for the whole month.According to Purana, this month provides four Purusharthas of life- Dharma, Artha, Kaama and Moksha.According to a mythological belief Lord Vishnu goes to sleep on Ashadha Ekadashi and he wakes up on Kartika Sukhla Ekadashi.In this month, Lord Shiva had killed the demon named Tripurasura. Every Monday of the whole month is very important and people worship Lord Shiva on that day.
In the Odia family, Habisa is made and people don’t eat onion and garlic on Mondays for the whole month. Some people do Brata and eat food only once a day for the whole month. They are known as Habisiali. Non-veg is restricted for the whole month in the Odia household. Along with the holy reason, there’s also a scientific reason for not eating non-veg during this month. According to science, during the Kartik month, the human digestive power is very weak and it takes almost three to four days extra to digest non-veg than veg foods.
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(HabisaDalma)
Bada Osha, one of the biggest fast falls on the thirteenth lunar day of Kartika Month.On this occasion, Gaja Pitha( a sweet dish made of rice flour, coconut, jaggery and cardamom) is offered to Lord Dhabaleshwar and is called Gaja Bhoga.
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(Gaja Bhoga)
The last five days of the month are the most important days and are known as Panchuka. These five days people don't even consume onion and garlic. They wake up before dawn, take a bath, do puja and also make Murja(rangoli) in front of Tulsi. Murja is an essential element and people refrain from using black colour. During the five days, Lord Jagannatha, Lord Balabhadra and Maa Subhadra are adorned in five different Bhesas(forms).The first bhesa is called Laxminarayan Bhesa, the second bhesa is called Bankachudha Bhesa, the third bhesa is called Tribikrama Bhesa, the fourth bhesa is called Laxminrusingha Bhesa and the fifth bhesa is called Rajarajeshwara Bhesa.
Boita Bandhana is done on the last day of Kartik Month ie. on Kartik Purnima. It is also called as Danga Bhasa. People on this day wake up early, bathe and visit the river bank. Then they set afloat the boats made of colourful papers/thermocool/banana stem with diya, betel, betel leaf, flowers and coin. They also sing “ Aa Ka Ma Bai, Pana Gua Thoi, Pana Gua Tora, Masaka Dharama Mora” while sailing the boat.Boita Bandhana is done in remembrance of the “Sadhava Puas” of Kalinga who in 2nd century BC went to Bali(Indonesia) for trade in boats. This represents the ancient maritime tradition of Odisha and the economic glory attached to it. It is believed that our ancestors underwent a lot of hardship travelling through the sea route to establish trade relations with different countries and thus DangaBhasa is a token of appreciation for them.
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(BoitaBandhana/DangaBhasa)
Baliyatra is the most important attraction of Kartik Purnima. Baliyatra is Asia’s largest open trade fair which is done for seven days starting from the day of Karik Purnima on the banks of River Mahanadi in Cuttack,Odisha. The fair witnesses myriads of tourists from all over the world. Traders from different parts of the world come and sell their commodities thus earning a huge share of profit. From a needle to expensive furniture, everything is available in the fair to buy and sell. Rides, foods and cultural festivals keep people entertained and hooked up. The first and last day is the most profitable day for the sellers and is very crowded.
Baliyatra for Odias especially the people of Cuttack is not just a fair, it's an emotion. They impatiently wait every year for this day to come.
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(Main gate of Baliyatra)
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