Allahabad/Varanasi: Devotees across the country celebrated Kartik Purnima and took dip in rivers and holy ponds on Sunday. Thousands of
devotees took a holy dip in River Ganga in Uttar Pradesh's Allahabad city. Kartik Purnima is considered the auspicious day to worship Lord Shiva and seek his
blessings. Devotees believe that taking a dip in the River Ganga during Kartik
Purnima cleanses them of their sins, speeding the way to the end of the cycle of
reincarnation. "By taking a holy dip in the sacred river on the eve of Kartik Purnima,
devotees
escape the cycle of rebirth, and get success and happiness in life. It holds a
lot of importance in Hindus' life," said Durga Prasad Pandey, a priest. Devotees
gathered at the holy Sangam, the site of the confluence of the Rivers Ganga and
Yamuna, and the Saraswati. "We take a bath in the River Ganga in the month of
Kartik. On the eve of Kartik Purnima, we take a dip in the Sangam, which is special
to us," said Mohan Mishra, a devotee. Meanwhile, devotees in Varanasi thronged
the embankments by the River Ganga to take a holy dip and to pray for the
well-being
of their family. The occasion is also locally known as Dev Diwali. "There are
many Indian traditions and rituals which are being followed here. On this day,
Dev Diwali is also celebrated and on the eve of Kartik Purnima by taking bath
in River Ganga, all the wishes of devotees are fulfilled," said Pankaj, a devotee.
In Bhubaneswar, hundreds of devotees celebrated the Boita Bandana ceremony
(boat worshipping ceremony) on Sunday.
The ceremony is celebrated on the occasion of the Kartik Purnima. People gathered
near the holy Vindusagar pond and floated miniature boats in the water with burning
'diyas' placed in them to symbolize voyages undertaken by their ancestors. The
day signifies an age-old tradition that is observed in the memory of those sailors
who left for distant lands from Orissa. "This festival is celebrated as a mark
of remembrance to those ancestors of ours who bravely sailed to far off lands.
At that time also, women used to pray for their safe return, and that tradition
has continued," said Rashmirekha Sahu, a devotee. Devotees believes that it was
on this day the ancient traders embarked from Orissa on arduous sea voyages to
places such as Bali, Java and Sumatra Islands in Southeast Asia. The sea traders
of Orissa had established colonies in these islands for business and commerce.
"We commemorate this occasion in accordance with our traditional rituals to pay
respect to our ancestors who had sailed to Java and Sumatra to establish trade
and business," said Nitai Palit, a devotee.
