Bhubaneswar: Amid growing demand for granting national fair status to Odisha's historic Cuttack Bali Jatra, Odia Language, Literature & Culture Minister Suryabanshi Suraj responded in Assembly today. 

Replying to a question asked by BJP MLA Kanhai Charan Danga (Kantamal Assembly Constituency) on initiatves being taken by the state government to grant national fair status to Cuttack Bali Jatra, the Minister informed the House that there is no provision to accord national recognition to any festival, celebration and fair. 

On February 6, Union Minister for Culture and Tourism Gajendra Singh Shekhawat in a written reply in Rajya Sabha had mentioned about Cuttack Bali Jatra highlighting its historical significance behind organsing the festival by Odisha Government every year. 

"Bali Jatra is a festival that commemorates the maritime trade and cultural exchange between Odisha and Southeast Asian countries, particularly Bali. The festival is celebrated annually in Cuttack, Odisha, and attracts million of visitors. The term Bali Jatra literally means ‘Voyage to Bali’. Every year Kartika Purnima marks the day that the seafaring traders departed for the Indonesian islands. For this festival, people of Odisha gather in large numbers in colourful attire to celebrate their glorious maritime history," Shekhawat told the Upper House.

"The celebration features grand fairs, elaborate rides, food and dance. Indian women perform ‘Boita Bandana’, they make boats of paper or banana leaf (sholapith) with lighted lamps inside and float them down the Mahanadi as a part of the celebrations. The Bali Jatra celebrates the ingenuity and skill of those expert sailors who made Kalinga, one of the most prosperous empires of its time," the Minister stated.