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All set for ‘Baliyatra’ festival

CUTTACK: The biggest carnival of Cuttack city - ‘Baliyatra’ is all set to begin from Saturday. Countdown has already started at Killa Maidan in front of the majestic 9th century Barabati Fort, located adjacent to the River Mahanadi. The ancient riverside port has come alive for the week-long festival, which will continue till November 30. “Depicting the symbol of past maritime glory of the erstwhile Kalinga province, Baliyatra not only showcase the traditional art and craft of the State but also provides a full-scale entertainment to the revellers”, says, Cuttack Collector Sujata Kartikeyan.

Traditionally, the festival, which begins on the last day of the holy month of Kartik, is considered to be a tribute to the glorious past of ancient maritime traders of the locality known as ‘Sadhabs’.

This time the district administration has earmarked about 4 lakh square feet of area for opening the stalls. Nearly 1,000 stalls will come up showcasing various items. ‘Meena Bazars’ with merry-go round, ‘maut ka kuan’, giant wheel will be some of the major crowd-pullers of the festival. But it will be food stalls which come up at the venue which will do brisk business during these days. Lakhs of visitors will throng the festive site particularly in the evening and make wide range of purchases.

The District Council of Culture is planning to stage cultural nights on all days of the festival in a big way.

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