In the Hindu calendar, Kartika month is considered as the holiest month of the year. This month has a lot of significance for the Odias. It is believed that one who observes Kartika month will get happiness in life because it is the month of Lord Vishnu and Shiva. It is said Lord Vishnu and Shiva visit Earth during this month and Lord Shiva killed the demon Tripurasura and saved the Earth.
This month is said to have all four life objectives (Purusharthas) in the Puranas – Dharma, Artha, Kaama and Moksha. Lord Vishnu explained the religious meaning of the month to Brahma, who further explained it to Narada and Bimal Panda told King Prithu of it.
The rituals are as follows:
Kartika Brata
Kartika Brata is celebrated for the whole month by Odia women, especially widows. Devotees take a pre-dawn bath and visit Jagannath Temple early in the morning during Mangal Arati every day. They do partial fasting and eat only once in the afternoon, which is known as Habisa, which is made of different pulses and vegetables. They read Kartika Mahatmya from Padma Purana. Usually, Odias who are not staunch observant of the Kartika Brata also refrain non-veg food during this month. The “Baluka Puja,” in which devotees worship the holy Tulsi (Basil) plant as the image of Lord Jagannath, is another important ritual of this month.
Panchuka
Panchuka is referred to the last five days of this holy month. In these five days, the three sibling deities, Lord Balabhadra, Goddess Subhadra and Lord Jagannatha, along with Sudarshan are dressed in five different Beshas (attires) on each day. Devotees wake up before the dawn, take a bath, make rangoli and read Purana.
Kartika Purnima
Kartika’s most important day is the day of the full moon or Kartika Purnima as Odias refers to it. This day is the day that Sadhabas or Odisha traders used to sail with merchandise to do business in far-off places. Odias conduct the rite of “Boita Bandano” to commemorate the glorious history of Odisha or Kalinga till this day and era, as it used to be known in the past. On this day, people wake up before the sunrise and take bath and go to the near riverbank or seashore and sail boats made out of paper or thermocol in remembrance of their ancestors. From this day, the famous festival of the Odisha, Bali Jatra, “A voyage to Bali”, starts and continues for the next seven days.
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