Agni Utsav

Introduction:

The state of Orissa celebrates many festivals with lots of religious fervor and a splash of colors juxtaposed with celebration styles varying from district to district and tribe to tribe. One such festival named Agni Utsav is also celebrated the same way in different parts of the state.

Celebration

Agni Utsav is the festival mainly celebrated by the farmers of Orissa. The festival holds special importance for farmers as rituals associated with the festival are believed to be helpful for farmers. Many prior preparations are made for the festival. Whole family get indulge in the planning for the festival.

Females of the family start cleaning their houses, a week before the festival and males collect straws to be burn on the Agni Utsav day. The entire village is cleaned by the people before the Agni Utsav.

As per the name of the festival, “Agni” the fire is worshipped on the day and large bundles of dried grasses or straw heaps are burnt on this festival.

On the day of Agni Utsav, the gathered straws from each family are collected in the village making huge heaps of hay.

Then, all people gather in village and the heap of straws is burnt with a fire.

All people gather and see the hay burning while enjoying together with family and friends.

Significance:

Farmers in Orissa believe that burning heap of dried grass on the day of Agni Utsav help them to predict about their crops in the coming year. The straw heaps are burnt and the direction of the straw while burning is believed to predict the next year's crop. Following predictions are made on the basis of direction of flame:

• An eastward tilt reflects high tides and entry of saline waters into the fields.
• A westward tilt predicts floods
• A tilt towards the Northeast means good crops.

Time for Celebration:

Agni Utsav is generally celebrated in Mid January to Mid February every year.The date of festival keeps changing every year.

Bada Osha

Dhabaleswar, Temple of Lord Mahadeva in the state of Orissa is an extremely famous and known among the localites of the state. The festival of Bada Osha is essentially a “Festival of Fasting” celebrated in the month of Kartik.

 As a custom this fast is mostly observed by men. The fast is kept on the fourteenth of Kartika (September-October). In the year 2009, it will fall on 1st Nov’09.

Orissa is famous for its culture and traditions. As a state it witnesses a number of religions, temples, shrines and tribes all fusing to blend in a rich state of traditions.

As the number of religions found here are many, so are the festivals and fairs celebrated.

Many festivals celebrated in Orissa find close resemblance to the festivals of Northern India, yet they differ in their names and practices here.

Dhabaleswar (Temple of Lord Mahadeva):

The festival of Bada Osha is primarily celebrated at the temple of Lord Mahadeva- Dhabaleswar. The temple is situated on an island in the river Mahanadi. The temple is located very close to the city of Cuttack, nearly 3Kms. Although the temple is always occupied by devotees, but on the Festival of Bada Osha, lakhs of tourists and devotees throng the place of worship to offer prayers.

How to Reach Cuttack?

Reaching Cuttack By Air - Biju Patnaik Airport at Bhubaneswar is the nearest airport to Cuttack. An adequate number of daily flights Indian airlines as well as some other private operators, connect the city with Kolkata, Delhi, Chennai, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Visakhapatnam.

Reach Cuttack By Rail/Train - Lying on the Kolkata-Chennai main line, the local railway station at Cuttack observes a plethora of  fast trains operating from here that connect the city with some other prominent cities within and outside Orissa thus making the journey to Cuttack via train, a much convenient and reasonable option.

Cuttack By Road - A smooth network of National Highways connect Cuttack with the rest of India. Regular buses and taxis ply to and fro Cuttack for all the major cities of India.

Bali Yatra

As the name suggests Bali Yatra means a journey to Bali. Bali Yatra is mainly celebrated in the state of Orissa. It held on the full moon day in the month of Kartik which is considered to be the most auspicious month out of the 12 months of calendar, that coincides with the months of October-November according to the Gregorian calendar.

Traditionally Bali Yatra symbolizes the culmination of all religious festivals held in the month of Kartik. Images of Karthikeswar are worshipped and immersed in the waters of river Mahanadi, near the Shiva Temple, to mark the end of the month of Karthik The Fair is held on the banks of Mahanadi River in the fort area of Cuttack city.

As a ritual and a tribute to ancient sailors of the region people float artificial boats made of paper, cork, colored paper and banana tree barks in the river and water tanks. There is also a famous tradition of lighting small lamps in the hollow of the boat called Boita Bandana. Apart from the tradition it also gives an amazing spectacle to the visitors as the scene of numerous boats lit with lamps floating in the river.

Historical Traces:

According to the Legends the day of Kartik Purnima was considered very auspicious by the traders (Sadhabas) of Orissa to venture on a journey to distant lands namely the islands of Bali, Java, Sumatra, Borneo and Ceylon (Sri Lanka).

Attractions:

The Festival of Bali Yatra has gained immense importance recently as tourists from far and wide gather here during the festival to witness the culture of Orissa. The government of Orissa organizes numerous tours and packages during the festival for tourists to have a complete look and feel of the state culture and richness. Orissa as a state id famous for its culture and vibrancy, which illuminates during this festival.

On the Festival of Bali Yatra a grand fair is organized that displays a great variety of goods and accessories for buying and selling. Apart from the rituals and fair there are number of arrangements by the government like Boating for the visitors which has slowly emerged as a great temptation.