Odisha Finance and Excise minister Sashi Bhusan Behera, in the presence of three of his cabinet colleagues, inaugurated the Baliyatra festival here Friday evening.
The festival, associated with the maritime glory of ancient Kalinga, is basically a trade and cultural fare that attracts revellers not only from state but from outside also.
A number of BJD MPs, MLAs and other party functionaries were also present at the colourful inaugural ceremony.
The day also being auspicious Kartika Purnima, more than a lakh people visited both the fare grounds and were seen relishing their favourite food stuffs from the vendors and food stalls lined up for the occasion.
At least 1300 stalls and an equal number of vendors with their temporary kiosks have spread across over 50 acres of the two fare grounds hoping to do brisk business in next ten days.
In order to control vehicular traffic in and around the fare sites, the district administration has provided free bus services to the fare grounds from three vantage locations of the city.
Earlier in the day, people in large numbers floated miniature boats in water bodies at different ghats of rivers Mahanadi and Kathajodi as a mark of respect to the ancient sadhavs (mariners), who established trade and cultural links through sea routes with different archipelagos of the Indian Ocean.
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