Kartika Purnima

Kartika Purnima is also known as Rasa Purnima. This festival is deeply intertwined with the customs, traditions, lifestyle, and religious sentiments of Odisha. The festival holds a special significance from the perspective of Utkala’s (ancient Odisha’s) history and its maritime trade in the pre-Christian era.

Significance

Shudramuni Sarala Das, the first poet of Odisha, described the sanctity of the month of Kartika in the Adi Parva of his Mahabharata. In the context of King Bhojaraj and Bhishma’s journey for a holy dip in the Ganga on Kartika Purnima, it is mentioned that dying in the month of Kartika leads to attaining Vaikuntha (the celestial abode of Vishnu).

Furthermore, Kartika is also known as a month of dharma (righteousness). During this month, devout people of all ages—children, adults, and the elderly—take a ritualistic bath early every morning, visit temples, and participate in Nagar Sankirtan (congregational chanting in the city). The last five days of the month are known as ‘Panchaka’ or ‘Maha Panchaka’. During these five days, every Hindu abstains from non-vegetarian food and engages in worship. It is said that even cranes do not touch non-vegetarian food during these five days. This ‘Maha Panchaka,’ observed for five days from Shukla Paksha Ekadashi (the 11th day of the bright fortnight), also called Bada Ekadashi, until the full moon (Purnima), is religiously significant for Hindus.

The practice of offering ‘Pinda’ (rice balls for ancestors) on Kartika Purnima is not currently prevalent in Odisha, but the observance of ‘brata’ (vows or fasts) is still followed in Odia tradition. On this day, women conclude their ‘Rai-Damodara brata’. Widows observe ‘Habishya’ (a simple, sacred diet) for the entire month and light ‘Akashadipa’ (sky lamps) every evening. The Tulasi (holy basil) plant is worshipped with great devotion during this month.

Legend

There is a legend that the demon Jalandhara became immensely powerful due to the chastity of his devoted and virtuous wife, Tulasi (also known as Brundabati). As long as Brundabati’s virtue remained untarnished, the gods, despite their best efforts, could not harm Jalandhara in any way.

Specialty

The establishment of the ‘Akashadipa’ is another contribution of the Kartika rituals. The period for honoring ancestors (Pitrupaksha) begins around the month of Kartika. The ritual of lighting these lamps in high places is practiced to show the path to the spirits of the departed and to illuminate their dark and difficult journey. In villages, an ‘Akashadipa’ is placed atop a tall bamboo pole every evening.

On the day of the full moon, there is a custom of floating boats made from the stems of banana plants. On that day, from the early hours of dawn, people of all ages take a dip in rivers or ponds. They then light lamps in small toy boats made of banana stems or thermocol, place betel leaf and areca nut in them, and set them afloat. While doing so, they sing:

“Aa Ka Ma Bai, Pana Gua Thoi, Pana Gua Tora, Masaka Dharama Mora.”

(Meaning: “Aa, Ka, Ma, Bai” [representing the Odia months of Ashadha, Kartika, Magha, and Baishakha], I offer you betel and areca nut; may the virtue of this holy month be mine.)

It is believed that bathing and visiting temples at dawn on this day washes away all sins. The four months of Ashadha, Kartika, Magha, and Baishakha are considered solstitial periods of the sun. The Sun God is worshipped on these solstitial days. According to Puranic studies, these four months are auspicious from a religious point of view and are highly favorable for the worship of gods and goddesses. On this occasion, the people of Odisha offer symbols of their native culture—betel, raw rice (akshata), and sesame seeds—into the water, seeking blessings and merit from the gods in return.

This tradition of floating small boats made of banana stems is still prevalent in Siam (Thailand). On this full moon day, the ‘Bali Jatra’ festival is held on the grounds near the Barabati Fort on the outskirts of Cuttack, the ancient capital of Utkala. It is a major festival in Odisha and is linked to the state’s glorious, albeit now lost, maritime traditions. Kartika Purnima is also famously known as ‘Boita Bandana Dibasa’ (The Day of Worshipping Boats).