Bali Yatra, Odisha's biggest trade festival to begin on November 12

Bhubaneshwar, October 19: Baliyatra, one of the biggest trade fairs of Odisha, is scheduled to begin on November 12, which will continue for eight days. This year’s Baliyatra will be jointly organized by the Cuttack District Administration, District Cultural Council, and the Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC).

 

A preparatory meeting for the mega fair was recently held under the chairmanship of District Collector Bhabani Shankar Chayani at Cuttack. As per a decision was taken at the meeting, the Administration will issue identity cards to all stall owners at the fair that commemorates the ancient maritime glory of Odisha. There will be separate vending zones for small traders and vendors.

For the first time, the district administration and the civic body of the city will organise Patha Utsav (street festival) during the annual Baliyatra. Similarly, the administration has decided to make two temporary ponds at the fairground to provide boating facility to the visitors. 

 

Baliyatra literally means A Voyage to Bali. This festival is held in Odisha in the city of Cuttack at Gadagadia Ghata of the Mahanadi river, to mark the day when ancient Sadhabas (Odia mariners) would set sail to distant lands of Bali, as well as Java, Sumatra, Borneo and Sri Lanka for trade and cultural expansion. To commemorate this, the festival is celebrated every year from the day of Kartika Purnima according to the Odia Calendar.

It was decided to install an adequate number of CCTV cameras and watchtowers at the fairground. The District Administration will open a temporary information centre at the fair. Amid ban on usage of Single-Use Plastics, the administration has stressed on preparations with special focus on ensuring polythene-free celebration of the festival this year.