Patara (caste)

Patra or Patara is a caste found in the Odisha State of India. They are a synonym of Kapudia community, both are same by culture and profession.Some of them are the sebak of Lord Jagannath. They are like Brahmin caste but not Brahmins.Traditionally they are petty traders inside and outside of the village. They trade in cotton and silk yarn, vermilion, and sacred threads meant for various rites and rituals. They are also required to supply these materials to the village deity and also to the Hindu caste people of the village on various ceremonial such as religious occasions.

Social life
They have two sub-divisions named, 1-Aswini Patara and 2-Gaudia Patara. They used the surnames includes;Kundu, Kotual, Ash, Mohapatra,Behera, Guin, Patra, Paramanik,Naha, Tosh, Sahoo,Das,pal, Dalal etc but Mohapatra,Sahoo,Behera are little bit different from other titles because they are the sebak of Lord jagannath.The Raksha Bandhan is the major festival of Patara & Kapudia community, Other than Raksha Bandhan The religious festivals like Pana Sankranti, Kanak Durga Puja and Hara Gouri Puja are also associated with the people of Patara community.

Status
They are included in the Utkala Brahmin list in the state of Odisha and West Bengal.