OB Special

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...

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 of Sonepur, who...

Bhubaneswar: 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,...

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 the plays...

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...

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 South-East paana and...

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....

The evidence of ancient Odisha’s deep trade links with China emerges from the accounts of travellers Fa Hien, who visited India around 400 AD. He started his return trip from...

Cuttack: Sona Mohaptra will be performing at Bali Jatra, Asia's largest annual trade fair, on Sunday. In a Facebook post, the Odisha-origin singer has invited Dua Lipa and Katy Perry,...