Habisyalis take the holy dip in Puri as Kartika Brata ends

PURI: Thousands of habisyalis and elderly women ended the month-long Kartika Brata by taking a holy dip in the sea on Friday.

Special rituals were performed in government-run habisyali centres to mark the end of the brata. The devotees rushed to Mahadadhi Tirth (a stretch of five km of beach from Swargadwar to Chakratirtha) to take the holy dip in the sea and floated miniature boats to mark Kartika Purnima. The habisyalis performed special rituals involving the sacred Basil (Tulsi) before taking the holy dip.