Cuttack, Nov 27 (PTI) The historic Bali Jatra got off to a colorful start in Odisha's Cuttack on Monday evening.

Finance Minister Bikram Keshari Arukha, in the presence of local MPs and MLAs, inaugurated the eight-day festival at Gadagadia Ghat on the bank of the Mahanadi river, adjacent to the 10th-century Barabati Fort ruins.

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Spread over more than 20 acres, the two fairgrounds have housed more than 2,000 makeshift stalls, officials said.

The Odisha Rural Development and Marketing Society (ORMAS) has allotted nearly 450 stalls to beneficiaries of self-employment schemes.

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Rural producers and artisans have packed their stalls with ethnic items, ranging from products made of golden grass and terracotta to wooden and bamboo items.

The fair, which will continue till December 4, is also famous for its food stalls. On the inaugural day, revellers were seen crowding stalls selling 'Thunka Puri' and 'Dahi Bara'. Rides such as swings, merry-go-rounds and giant wheels were seen attracting youth and children in large numbers.

While the district administration and the civic body have made arrangements to keep the fairgrounds garbage-free, a ban has been imposed on polythene.

Police said they have made elaborate arrangements to maintain law and order, besides managing traffic on the roads leading to the fairgrounds.

Anti-sabotage, anti-terrorist and quick reaction forces (QRF) have also been deployed at the festival grounds. Elaborate fire-fighting arrangements have also been made.

Cuttack's Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Pinak Mishra said 25 aid posts have been set up at different places on the fairgrounds to assist visitors.

Special arrangements have been made for senior citizens, women and children at the grounds, he said.

A total of 60 platoons of police forces (one platoon comprises 30 personnel) have been deployed, he added.

The festival, which marks the end of the 'Kartik' month, celebrates the day when 'sadhabas' or mariners used to set sail for distant lands such as Bali, Java, Sumatra and Borneo in Indonesia, and Sri Lanka for trade.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)