Know how Odisha’s Bali Yatra got its name 

Remembering our rich maritime history, Bali Yatra, one of the biggest fairs in Odisha, is held at Gadagadia Ghat of the Mahanadi River in Cuttack City every year. 

The festival, called historic for its connection with the ancient mariner merchants of Odisha (Sadhaba Puas) and their voyages, kick-starts on the auspicious occasion of Kartika Purnima day.  

This historic ten-day-long extravaganza witnesses a huge footfall of visitors coming from in and outside the state.

Why on Kartika Purnima Day

In ancient times, our Sadhaba Puas used to sail out to foreign lands like Java, Sumatra and Bali and return with huge wealth. And it was the Kartika Purnima day when they would begin their voyage. The Kartika Purnima day was preferred because it is an auspicious day and during this time the winds were favourable for voyages in boats, locally known as ‘boita’.

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To keep the memory of glorious maritime tradition alive, people across Odisha float miniature boats in water bodies on Kartika Purnima day. And, the Bali Yatra at Gadagadia Ghat kick-starts on this auspicious day.

Why called Bali Yatra 

The literal meaning of Bali Yatra is Voyage to Bali. Bali, an island in Indonesia, was one of the foreign lands where our Sadhaba Puas used to go to trade. 

There is another theory as to why the festival is called Bali Yatra. As per it, Sri Chaitanya, the great Vaishnavite Bengali poet, landed in Cuttack after crossing the sand bed of the Mahanadi River on the auspicious day of Kartika Purnima. His journey was called the Bali Yatra.

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