BHUBANESWAR, Nov. 15 -- Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik deserves kudos for demanding 'National Maritime Heritage Festival' status for the Cuttack Balijatra which has come to symbolise the great maritime tradition of Odisha. The coast of Kalinga, as the state was known in ancient times, was dotted with important ports which were fulcrums of trade and also enriched the state culturally by linking it with the outside world.
Tracing the maritime history of the state one of the scholars refers to the Shilpashastra which talks of two types of sea ports-pattana and dronimukha--depending on their location. While Pattanas were situated on the sea coast where cargos were loaded and unloaded dronimukhas were located near the confluence of the river and...