‘Boita Bandana’ Utsav celebrated at Gopalpur

Berhampur: A perfect fusion of “aa ka ma bei…” folk songs with the rhythmic sound of sea waves at Gopalpur added serenity in the pious environment of devotees, visitors, tourists and lovers of nature. On Thursday dawn, the ‘Boita Bandana’ festival was celebrated with utmost solemnity, religious fervor, gaiety and éclat.

 Thousands of devotees joined in the mass ‘Boita Bandana’ Utsav with their family members. Among the devotees, most of them were women came from different nearby villages and from the Berhampur city. Some of them had brought readymade boat replicas made up of Sholes while most of the women had brought hand made boat replicas by devotees made up of banana trees. The colourful boats along with fireworks on the shore were amazing which attracted so many.

“The tradition of worshipping God recalling the days of Sadhabas, the son of Kalinga, the brave mariners of ancient India who were going to Java, Sumatra, Borneo, Malaya, Sinhala for trading. For their safe journey and the returning, the peoples of the Kalinga were worshipping God while starting the journey on the sea by the Boitas (boats). To remember our tradition we are observing the Utsav on Kartika Purnima”, said a devotee Swapnarani Acharya.

Following the rituals of Puja, the boats containing Pan Leaves, betel, rice were being flown by the devotees by chanting “aa ka ma bei…” song.

On the occasion of ‘Boita Bandana’ Utsav ‘Bhajan Samaroh’ was organized on the beach for the entertainment of the devotees and visitors. Security arrangement to control the crowd and special trained police were deployed for rescue operation.

On the other hand, the ‘Boita Bandana’ Utsavwas organized in different part of Ganjam district. The religious month ‘Kartika’ along with ‘Panchuka’ and the full moon day of Kartika increased its importance of the Utsav.

On Thursday, on the eve of ‘Boita Bandana’ Utsav,  ‘Bali Yatra’ was organised in some places of the district include the Shaiva shrines of Bateswar and Aleswar near the shore of Bay of Bengal under Ganjam block.