Sambalpur: Festive fervour gripped Western Odisha on the occasion of ‘Nuakhai’ as ‘Navanna’ (new rice) was offered to the deity of Maa Samaleswari temple in Sambalpur city as per the ‘lagna’ (auspicious time) on Thursday.
The management committee of the temple made elaborate arrangements for ‘Nuakhai’ as it is celebrated with participation of devotees after a gap of two years. The preparation has been in the process for over two weeks considering a huge footfall on the premises on the day. The mass celebration was prohibited in the last two years due to COVID pandemic.
As per the rituals, the entire temple premises was cleaned and then purified with sacred water. It was also sanitised as precautionary measure against COVID infection. Then the deity was given a sacred bath and drssed up with new and colourful attire.
After performing the rituals amid chanting of Shakti mantras, beating of cymbals and drums and blowing conch shells, ‘Navanna’ was offered to Maa Samaleswari on the auspicious moment.
Earlier, Brahmanmandap Pandit Mahasbha of the temple had finalised the ‘lagna’ by calculating the time and days from Odia almanac between 10. 56 am and 11.10 am. The ‘Navanna’ was offered at 11 am. With the offering, the entire campus resounded with cheering of the devotees.
Thousands of devotees thronged the temple from morning carrying ‘Navanna’ to offer to Maa Samaleswari, the presiding deity of Sambalpur. They carried the offering that included newly harvested rice, vegetables, fruits, sweet food, incense sticks and other puja accessories. The delicacies typical to the area such as ‘Mug Bara’, ‘Mug Manda’, ‘Chaula Manda’, ‘Kakara Pitha’ and ‘Kheer’ are also offered on the occasion.
To mark the occasion, several cultural and community programmes have been lined up for the evening.
Though ‘Nuakhai’ is basically an agrarian festival, which is celebrated with offering made from new crop as an obligation to Mother Earth, it has assumed the shape of mass celebration of late.
