Bali Jatra

Boita Bandana celebrations in Canada were full of the rich culture of Odisha and a night to remember for everyone. The festivities were organised by the Orissa Society of Canada on November…

The mention of Bali Jatra stirs fond memories in Geeta Satpathy, 59. She was around seven when she first visited the jatra and she still remembers the excitement at the sight and sounds of…

Communal memory is more powerful than history. Our ancient maritime glory lives on in collective memory through the celebration of Bali Jatra. It may have been reduced to rituals to some…

Egyptian mythology offers strong hints of maritime links with ancient Odisha. The land it mentions as Put or Punt was most probably Puri, according to a research work. The holy triad of Lord…

In Sonepur, the land of Shakti worship, Bali Jatra assumes a different meaning altogether. According to tradition, the festival began during Raja Madan Gopal Singhdeo, the first Chauhan king…

Bali Jatra is like an ode to Odisha’s maritime history, when traders from Kalinga (Odisha was a part of Emperor Ashoka’s empire) established trade links with Bali, Indonesia. Somehow, not…

Wayang kulit, the shadow-puppetry show, popular in South-East nations has similarities to the nearly extinct puppetry in Odisha and Andhra Pradesh. Kaundinya’s marriage is the major theme in…

Cuttack: Missing the rustic Odia feel in Bali Jatra?  What can bring it more alive than our traditional food items. Some of them may have lost out to instant noodles and fancier food such as…

What’s panna without gua, betel-nut? No fun. The latter appears to have been an import from South-East Asia to Odisha. Betel-nut is quite popular in those countries. In rural areas of…

Cuttack: If you thought the exhibits at the Bali Jatra were routine and a tad short on the curio quotient, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) delivers what exactly is needed. Its…