Bali Yatra will be bigger and better in 2012

Bali Yatra, the seven-day festival starts on 28 November 2012. The Cuttack district administration identified an additional 50,000 sqft of land to host the historic Bali yatra on a larger scale this year. The additional space will help in better crowd management. A record 11 lakh visitors had thronged the fair here last year in 2011.

Bali Yatra or Bali Jatra literally means “Journey to Bali” ; Held on the full moon day in Karthik Purnima, Bali Yatra commemorates Orissa’s ancient maritime legacy. It is literally “journey to Bali”. The ancient traders (Sadhabas) chose the auspicious day of Kartik Purnima to set sail in their sea going boats or Boitas to distant Bali, Java, Sumatra, Borneo and Sri Lanka.

Bali yatra is held over 37 acres, of which 23 acres are on the Mahanadi river bed and 14 on Kila Maidan near the Barabati fort. “We have planned to organise Bali yatra over an additional 50,000sqft land and adequate steps will be taken for the safety and security of visitors,” said district collector Girish SN.

The collector said that for the first time, it has been decided to set up a special pavilion for selling products made by physically-challenged people. Apart from this, the district council for culture will provide a time slot for various physically-challenged artistes to showcase their singing and dancing skills during the festival.

The extra space will be used to set up various government and private kiosks for selling handicrafts and food. The number of such kiosks is likely to cross 1,300 this year against last year’s 1,100.

The Pallishree Mela, organised by Odisha Rural Development Marketing Society (Ormas) and the district administration, in association with Khadi Village Industry Commission, would be another key attraction.