Odisha celebrates its rich heritage of maritime trade
Odisha celebrates its rich heritage of maritime trade
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Bhubaneswar: People across Odisha gathered around water bodies and floated the traditional small boats built of banana stem, paper, and thermocol in the early hours of Tuesday and the night before, remembering the state's historic nautical grandeur.
While the Mahanadi river's Gadagadia Ghat in Cuttack saw a large crowd, circumstances were similar in Bindu Sagar near Lingaraj Temple in Bhubaneswar. People light candles to remember the ancient traders known as "Sadhavas" who established abroad trading relations. These miniature boats also include betel leaves, areca nuts, and rice.
Thailand has its own version of Odisha's Boita Bandana, which is not widely known.
It is known as Loy Krathong in Thailand. People congregate near bodies of water to pray to the Water Goddess. They set magnificent lotus flower-shaped rafts afloat. Candles, incense, and flowers are used to decorate these. The candles' flashing light creates beauty in the water.
Aside from being an apology for polluting the water sources, the celebration marks the conclusion of the harvest season and is a ceremony of appreciation for bountiful supplies throughout the year. It is also thought to represent the forgetting of grudges and resentment. All the luck is yours if you keep your candle lighted until the Krathong (boat) vanishes from sight.
