Bhubaneswar: The festival of Kartika Purnima is being celebrated with enthusiasm and devotion across Odisha today, as people floated miniature boats in rivers and ponds to honour the state’s glorious maritime past.

In Cuttack, thousands gathered at the Gadagadia Ghat on the banks of the Mahanadi River early in the morning to perform traditional rituals and float miniature boats.

Similar scenes were witnessed at Bindu Sagar near the Lingaraj Temple in Bhubaneswar, where devotees thronged the sacred water body before sunrise.

Significance of Kartika Purnima

The festival, deeply rooted in Odisha’s history, commemorates the era when traders sailed from the shores of Kalinga to distant lands such as Indonesia, Java, Sumatra and Bali for trade and cultural exchange.

Before their voyage, f

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