All roads lead to Cuttack Bali Yatra

The historic Bali Yatra started in Cuttack city on November 28. It was inaugurated by chief minister Naveen Patnaik. He hailed the rich maritime heritage of Odisha and recalled the state's trade ties with Bali, Sumatra, Java and Sri Lanka at the function.

Hundreds of people thronged the fair venue on the Mahanadi riverbed to get a feel of the state's rich art, craft and cuisine. Traders from Odisha and outside have set up around 1,300 stalls that are selling stone and bamboo household items like sila, chaki, kula, and tokei to latest electronic gadgets at the fair and on the paths leading to the ground. There were also stalls selling the famous dahi vada-alu dum and thunka puri that people look forward to savour at Bali Yatra.

Elaborate police arrangements have also been made. This year, the administration is focusing on organising grand cultural programmes to highlight the rich culture of the state. It has also come up with a special pavilion for the differently-abled people for the first time this year. Besides, the local civic body has emphasized on observing a polythene-free festival and accordingly the traders have been strictly asked to avoid use of polythene bags, plastic cups, glasses and plates.

The day also marked Kartik Purnima when people floated boats in different water bodies of the state. Source: ToI

Month long famous ‘Chaitra' festival begins at Tara Tarini hill shrine near Berhampur

BERHAMPUR: Traditional Chaitra festival began at Tara Tarini hill shrine of Ganjam district on Tuesday. Four Tuesdays of Hindu month of Chaitra are celebrated as a festival called ‘Tara Tarini Chaitra Jatra' at this hill shrine. Over a lakh devotees thronged to this hill shrine on the first Tuesday of Chaitra. A new ghat road to the hill top was also opened for devotees. Apart from the road communication there is also a ropeway to the hilltop. But most of the devotees who visited the hill shrine on Tuesday preferred to trek to the hill top rather than opting for easier modes of travel. As per Pramod Panda, secretary of the Tara Tarini Development Board (TTDB), special buses have been arranged to transport devotees to the hill top, yet devotees including the aged, women and children preferred to climb 999 steep steps to reach the hill shrine. Around 95 per cent of the devotees preferred to climb to the hilltop. Flow of devotees continued from 4 a.m. when the gates of the temple were opened. It continued till evening. The TTDB authorities arranged medical facilities. A village fair also came up at the foot hill. Devotional cultural programmes continued at the hilltop and downhill.

The authorities had put strict curbs on animal sacrifice at the hill shrine. It was totally banned on the hill and in area in close proximity to the hill.

This year, the almost complete new temple of this hill shrine attracted the visitors. According to TTDB authorities, the date for the ritualistic inauguration ceremony of the new temple would be decided a meeting to be held Thursday. Twelve senior Vedic pundits from all the nine traditional taluks of Ganjam district will attend the meeting.