Boita Bandana

Boita Bandana (ବୋଇତ ବନ୍ଦାଣ) is an Odia ritual in which people float small, lamp-lit boats on water before sunrise on Kartika Purnima, the full moon that ends the holy month of Kartika. The name joins boita, the Odia word for the large sea-going ships of the past, and bandana, worship or salutation. The ritual honours the sadhabas, the merchant-mariners of ancient Kalinga who, according to tradition, sailed at this season to Bali, Java, Sumatra and Sri Lanka.

Significance

Odisha's coast was home to busy ports in ancient and medieval times, and Odia folk memory has kept the image of the sadhaba and his boita through songs, stories and festivals. Popular tradition holds that Kartika Purnima was the season when the sadhabas set sail, because the north-east monsoon winds of early winter favoured voyages across the Bay of Bengal, and that the women of their families sent them off with lamps and prayers at the waterside.

Boita Bandana re-enacts that farewell in miniature. By floating a little boat carrying a lamp and offerings, families remember their ancestors' voyages and pray for safety and prosperity. The ritual is the household root of the larger Bali Jatra fair in Cuttack. For the historical background of the sea trade itself, see Odiapedia's article on Odisha's maritime history.

How is Boita Bandana performed?

The ritual takes place in the early hours of Kartika Purnima, before or around dawn:

1. Making the boats. Families prepare small boats from coloured paper, the bark or stem of the banana plant, or cork. Some are simple, others are carefully decorated.
2. Loading the offerings. Each boat carries betel leaf and betel nut (pana gua), flowers and a small oil lamp or diya. Some households add other small offerings.
3. Going to the water. People bathe and go to a river, pond, temple tank or the sea, often in groups and families.
4. Floating the boats. As the boats are pushed off, people recite the traditional chant beginning "Aa ka ma bai, pana gua thoi", which mentions placing betel leaf and nut in the boat.

The meaning of the chant's opening syllables is explained in different ways, and Odiapedia has not found an authoritative scholarly reading, so we do not give one here.

Kartika month and Kartika Purnima

Boita Bandana closes the month of Kartika, the most sacred month of the Odia religious year for many Hindus. During Kartika many Odia families avoid non-vegetarian food. The Kartika full moon is also called Rasa Purnima or Rahas Purnima, and is a state holiday in Odisha. The end of the Kartika observance is popularly marked with a feast called Chada Khai, when the month's dietary restrictions are lifted.

Where is it celebrated?

Boita Bandana is observed all over Odisha. The most visible celebrations are in riverside and coastal towns, where crowds gather before sunrise on the banks of the Mahanadi and other rivers, on temple tanks and on beaches. In Cuttack, the morning ritual on the Mahanadi opens the week-long Bali Jatra fair at Gadagadia Ghat; see also the Cuttack district page.

Food associated with Boita Bandana

Boita Bandana is not tied to a single dish. Its food customs come from the Kartika observance that it concludes: a month of vegetarian meals in many households, followed by the end-of-month feast. Betel leaf and betel nut are the ritual offerings placed in the boats. For Odia temple food traditions, see Mahaprasad.

Boita Bandana dates

Rule: Boita Bandana is performed before sunrise on Kartika Purnima, the full moon of the Odia month of Kartika (October–November).

Related on Odiapedia

• Bali Jatra, Cuttack's Kartika Purnima fair
• Prathamastami, about a week after Kartika Purnima
• Odisha's maritime history
• Festival calendar