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On the full moon day of Kartika, a month in the Vedic lunar calendar that corresponds to November or December in the Gregorian calender, people in Odisha make miniature boats, usually from banana stems and paper. They decorate these with flowers, lamps, betel leaves and betel nuts and set them afloat in rivers, ponds and other waterbodies. Known as Boita Bandana (literally, ‘worshipping the boat’), this festival is not centred around any religious beliefs but in honour of the state’s rich maritime history.
Historians say that the maritime trade in ancient Odisha, known as Kalinga or Utkala, dates back to 2,500 years ago. Characterised by various rivers, harbours and adjacency to the ocean, the region formed a conductive setting for nautical voyages, with the merchants of Kalinga initiating their journeys mainly from the delta region of the Mahanadi. According to a study paper by historians Rajata Kanta Dash and Rajani Biswal published in the International Journal of History in 2023, some of the ports that rose to prominence included Palur, Pitbunda, Tamralipti, Manikapatna and Chelitalo. During that era, the Bay of Bengal occupied a significant position; known as the Kalinga Sagara, it was dominated by ships from Kalinga. As evident from several ancient literatures, including the Raghuvamsa by Kalidasa, the king of Kalinga was referred to as Mahodadhipati, which translates to ‘king of the oceans’.
The journeys undertaken by Kalinga sadhabas typically commenced on Kartika Purnima, which signifies the ending of the monsoon period and when navigability improved. According to an article titled Kalinga Bali Yatra and the Maritime Trade of Odisha by R K Nanda, published in Odisha Review in November 2019, the sailors used to complete their trip in 180 days from Cuttack to Bali in the modern-day Indonesian archipelago — the sailing period was 120 days and the remaining 60 days were used for trade. The onward journey to Bali would be completed by mid-January and the return journey started in mid-March, when the climatic conditions favoured sea voyages.
The vessels sailing from the ports of Odisha were well supported by northwest winds and the return journey by southeast winds, says Prafulla Chandra Mohanty in an article titled Maritime Trace of Ancient Kalinga, published in the November 2011 edition of Orissa Review. The article further notes that the inhabitants of Kalinga were adept in construction of powerful vessels, that could carry thousands of people and the bodies of the boats were covered with copper plates. These had wheels and were well equipped with all sorts of machines. The region in those days seems to have supplied spices, diamonds and precious stones to the Roman Empire, elephants to Ceylon, precious stones, ivory, paper, betel nuts, drugs, fine textiles and fabrics to China, besides rice and forest goods to other countries. Valuable merchandise, including silk, gold, gems, porcelain, sandalwood and spices were imported from China.
“Upon careful examination of ancient history, it becomes apparent that no other province in India exhibited such a notable abundance of pioneering accomplishments in maritime trade,” notes the study published in International Journal of History.
Historian Supriya Subhadarsini Sahoo in her paper presented at the European Conference on Arts and Humanities 2017 Official Conference Proceedings, states that Odia literature was greatly influenced by its maritime activities as there are reference of sea voyages in Lavanyavati and Vaidehisa Vilasa by celebrated poet Upendra Bhanja; Dinakrushna Das in Rasakallola speaks about overseas trade and ships wrecked by storms; Kavya Parimala by Narasimha Sen also refers to the Odias’ trade and commerce with Sri Lanka. Archaeological findings, literary sources, epigraphic evidence, art and sculptural remains of Odisha emphasise on these ports, ship-building activities and their trading and cultural contacts with other countries. The port towns around the Chilika Lake had established their cultural and commercial contacts with Ceylon (Sri Lanka), Java, Sumatra, Borneo, China, Rome and African countries during the early centuries of the Christian Era. Kalinga’s sea trade and cultural relations with Bali, Sumatra, Borneo and other islands in modern-day Indonesia has traces in the rock carvings at the Puri Jagannath temple. Numerous references to sea voyages can also be found in folktales and songs. One such is the Tapoi folksong story — a fictional account on the socio-cultural and religious ethos of the Odia sadhaba community — which has formed a base for a religious festival known as Khudurukuni Osa, which is observed in the month of Bhadrav in honour of the sea goddess Mangala, Sahoo mentions in her paper.
The ports of the Odisha coast were thriving when the region came under the Mughals, says Mohanty in his paper. During the rule of Akbar, the southern ports, including Palura, Sonepur, Gopalpur, Chilika and Chitrotpala lost their importance, while some of the northern ports such as Balasore, Pipili and Harishpur came into greater focus and were developed into important naval centres. However, with the passage of time these ports decayed and became almost non-functional. The maritime trade was also largely disturbed by pirates. The advent of roads and railways further lessened the importance of river port routes for transportation. Today, Paradeep, Gopalpur and Dhamara are the only major ports of Odisha.
But each year, people of the state celebrate their rich maritime history by observing Boita Bandana. On the banks of the Mahanadi, Bali Yatra, a week-long open-air trade fair is organised to showcase the state's rich cultural heritage.