Over three lakh people had their holy dip on Friday morning in the sea here on the occasion of Kartik Purnima.
The people made their well-decorated toy boats made up of banana skins and set them afloat in the sea to memorise the return journey of Odia merchants from other countries.
After a dip, they visited the Jagannath Temple and made a darshan of deities in their Sunabesha (golden attire).
At Chandrabhaga and Konark, thousands of pilgrims also took holy dip in the sea and visited the Nabagraha statues in the Sun Temple premises.
In Puri, heavy crowd was found along the Badadanda (Grand Road) since early dawn. The devotees entered the temple though the multi-layer barricades near the Lions Gate. Looking at the huge footfalls of devotees to view the Sunabesha of the deities, the temple was opened as early as 1.55 am on Friday.
Amid jam-packed crowd inside the shrine, the devotees viewed the most auspicious Sunabesha of Lords, which began at 3.40 am and lasted up to 5.10am.
For Sunabesha, which is observed within the sanctum sanctorum on Ratnasinghasan (bejeweled throne) on full moon day of Kartika month every year, the servitors had to finish the morning rites and rituals of deities in time.
Friday was the last day of Kartika Habisha of fasting women. More than 25,000 women camping in the city for a month had a last view of the deities before their departure. Many of them were found returning home on the concluding day with others waiting to observe ‘Chadakhai’ on Saturday before leaving the city.
Most of the fasting women were camping in the Government’s sponsored Habisha centers.
In Chilka lake, the Boita Bandan (boat worship) ceremony was observed. At Barakuda, Satapada, Titipa, Jahnikuda, Parikud and Maluda banks, the boaters observed Boita Bandan before venturing into the lake with their well-decorated vessels.