Puri, Oct. 8 -- The Odisha government will host 2,500 women devotees, including married and widowed women, in Puri for the month-long Kartika Brata beginning October 26, the district administration said on Thursday.

Women aged between 50 and 70 years who are interested in observing the Brata can apply online from October 6 until the prescribed accommodation capacity is filled, according to an official release.

The applicants will have to undergo health screening and only those found medically fit will be allowed to participate. Women suffering from mental illness or serious ailments, as well as those considered too old to undertake the observance, will not be eligible, the release said.

The administration has arranged accommodation for t...