Cuttack: The historic Bali Jatra will be held on the banks of river Mahanadi in Odisha’s Cuttack city from November 27. The decision was taken at a high-level meeting of the officials of the district administration, Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC) and other stakeholders in the city on Friday.
As per the decision, the Bali Jatra will be held for 8 days from November 27 to December 4. Various issues related to the grand festival were discussed at the meeting. The security of the visitors and basic civic amenities at the Jatra ground were stressed.
Additional chief secretary Satyabrata Sahu and Cuttack mayor Subhash Singh were among others present in the meeting.
It may be noted that the Bali Jatra, an annual festival, was revived in the city in 2022 after a break of 2 years due to COVID pandemic.
Bali Jatra (meaning voyage to Bali) has been organised for centuries to commemorate and celebrate the maritime tradition and heritage of Odisha, which was known as Kalinga in ancient times, with the south-east Asian region, including Bali (now in Indonesia).
Every year, it begins on the auspicious day of Kartika Purnima to commemorate Odia mariners’ journeys to Bali, Java, Sumatra, Borneo and Sri Lanka for trade and commerce. While it is believed that the local traders and populace would have started the fair, the Cuttack district administration has taken the responsibility of organising it for the last several decades.
Lakhs of visitors from across Odisha throng the Bali Jatra every year to visit hundreds of stalls put up by government and private institutions and organisations.
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