‘Bhikshuka Mela’: A distinctive feature of Balasore’s Boita Bandana Utsav   

The annual Boita Bandana Utsav organised on the banks of Budhabalanga River in Balasore has an unusual and distinctive feature, which is not found anywhere in Odisha on Kartika Purnima. 

Every year, thousands of beggars from various parts of Odisha, neighbouring West Bengal, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh throng the river banks, seeking donations and alms from devotees. Over the years, the gathering of beggars along with their family members earned the name ‘Bhikshuka Mela’(Beggars’ Fair).

As the holy month of Kartika ends on the Kartika Purnima, people from various parts of the state and even outside converge on the river banks to celebrate the traditional festival by setting boats afloat in the river. Along with celebrations, they lovingly offer articles, food, and clothes and donate money to the beggars sitting along Balasore’s Balighat Road with the belief that they would earn virtues on the auspicious day. The practice of donation to the underprivileged is a reflection intrinsic to Odisha’s age-old cultural heritage and beliefs.

The Boita Bandana Utsav in Balasore has earned a unique distinction because of such a fair of beggars. 
Sanatan Munda, who came a long way from Jamshedpur in Jharkhand to the fair, said, “I have come to the banks of Budhabalanga three days back. People happily donate rice, money, food and other articles to us.”

As per reports, about 2,000 beggars sit along the Balighat Road. It is said that a beggar earns or gets enough to maintain his/her family for a year. 

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Sukirti Kar, a local resident, who was at that Boita Bandana Utsav, felt elated making donations to the beggars. “It is said that donating on the auspicious Kartika Purnama is a virtuous act. Hence, thousands of beggars come to the place for alms. They sit on both sides of the road. People love to make their donations in different forms.”
Kar said that she has been seeing such a unique fair since her childhood. “I used to come with my parents to make donations to the beggars,” she recalled.

Jyotiranjan Sahu, a local devotee said, "Beggars from neighbouring states like Jharkhand, West Bengal, and Chhattisgarh come to the banks of Budhabalanga every year on Kartika Purnima, the day which is considered holy enough to make donations.”

Report by Chandrakant Jena