Kartika Brata begins in Puri: free stay, darshan queue for 2,400 Habishyalis
By Ishita SenCulture & Heritage Editor, Peepals Sanskriti
File photo: Bernard Gagnon (CC BY-SA 3.0), via Wikimedia Commons
Kartika Brata began in Puri on October 26 with free stay, food and a darshan queue for about 2,400 registered Habishyalis; unregistered women struggled for beds.
What Happened
The holy month of Kartika began in Puri on Monday, October 26, 2026, and the Odisha government has made special arrangements for about 2,400 Habishyalis, the women devotees, many of them elderly, who spend the month in the temple town observing the Kartika Brata, or Habisha vow. Women selected through online registration on the state's e-District portal are being given free accommodation, food and a dedicated darshan queue at the Jagannath Temple until the month ends on November 24. On the first day, reports also described hundreds of women who arrived without registration and could not find beds.
Key Facts
- Kartika Brata 2026 in Puri runs from October 26 to November 24.
- About 2,400 Habishyalis have been selected through the Odisha e-District portal; one report puts the figure at about 2,500 from 30 districts.
- Free stay is being provided at Brundabati Niwas, the Railway Tourist Complex and the municipal Kalyan Mandap.
- A dedicated darshan queue for Habishyalis is running at the Srimandir throughout the month.
- Barricades have been put up at the sacred tanks used for bathing, and 15 platoons of police have been deployed in Puri, according to reports.
- The administration has said it will not provide accommodation to anyone who has not registered.
- On October 26, many unregistered women reached Brundabati Niwas and found no beds; some reported mismatches between their registration and Aadhaar details.
Why It Matters
Kartika is considered one of the holiest months in Odisha's religious calendar, and Puri is at the centre of it. According to tradition, Habishyalis take a vow for the whole month: they bathe early, eat a single simple meal a day cooked without certain ingredients, known as habisha, and spend their days in prayer and temple visits. Many of those who take the vow are older women who travel to Puri from districts across the state and stay for the full month.
The government's free scheme, with online registration, is meant to give them safe lodging, regular meals and easier darshan. Registration also lets the administration plan for numbers, which matters in a town that sees heavy crowds through Kartika and on its most important days.
The first-day problems show the limits of that system. Women who did not know about registration, or whose documents did not match, arrived to find no place in the official accommodation. How quickly the district administration resolves these cases will matter as much as the headline numbers.
The arrangements also come at a time when Odisha is investing in Puri's wider infrastructure, including heritage and road projects meant to handle growing pilgrim numbers.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Kartika Brata period | October 26 to November 24, 2026 |
| Registered Habishyalis | About 2,400 (one report: 2,500 from 30 districts) |
| Free accommodation | Brundabati Niwas, Railway Tourist Complex, Kalyan Mandap |
| Darshan | Dedicated queue at the Srimandir |
| Security | Barricades at sacred tanks; 15 platoons of police |
Impact
Short-term: Registered Habishyalis have a place to stay, meals and a separate darshan line for the month. Women who arrived without registration face uncertainty until the administration decides how to help them.
Long-term: If the registration system works smoothly, it can become the standard way to support Habishyalis each year. The first-day confusion suggests that more awareness about registration, especially in rural districts, will be needed before next year's Kartika.
Who is affected: Elderly women devotees from across Odisha, their families, the Puri district administration, temple staff, and local lodges and traders who serve pilgrims during the month.
Key Takeaway
Puri's Kartika Brata began on October 26 with free stay, meals and a special darshan queue for about 2,400 registered Habishyalis, but unregistered women struggled to find shelter on day one.
Questions and Answers
What is the Kartika Brata in Puri?
It is a month-long vow observed during the holy month of Kartika, mainly by elderly women devotees called Habishyalis, who stay in Puri, eat one simple meal a day and spend the month in prayer and temple visits, according to tradition.
When is Kartika Brata 2026 in Puri?
It runs from October 26 to November 24, 2026.
What facilities are Habishyalis getting in 2026?
About 2,400 registered women are getting free accommodation at Brundabati Niwas, the Railway Tourist Complex and the municipal Kalyan Mandap, along with food and a dedicated darshan queue at the Jagannath Temple.
Can women who did not register get free accommodation?
The administration has said it will not provide accommodation to unregistered devotees. On the first day, many unregistered women could not find beds; families should check with the Puri district administration for any further help.
Disclaimer: Prepared by the Peepals newsroom from publicly available sources with AI assistance. Information is accurate to the best of our knowledge at the time of publication and may change. Images may be representative. Not professional advice. Report an error via our contact page.
By Ishita Sen, Culture & Heritage EditorCovers Culture & Heritage and more for Peepals Sanskriti. All stories by Ishita Sen
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Ishita Sen is a pen name of the Peepals Global Editorial Team, which researches, fact-checks and publishes every story. The portrait is an illustration.
