Sambalpur: The ‘lagna’ (auspicious time) of offering ‘Nabanna’ to the presiding deity on the occasion of western Odisha’s popular festival ‘Nuakhai’ was announced on Thursday.
The Pandit Mahasabha of Brahmapur temple in Sambalpur, which is assigned the task of deciding the time for initiating the puja, announced the ‘lagna’ as per the astrological calculations.
The Mahasabha said puja and offering of ‘Nabanna’ (cooked new rice) will be performed at Sambalpur’s presiding deity in Samaleswari temple between 10.27 am and 10.42 am on September 20. After ‘Nabanna’ is offered to Maa Samaleswari, the people across western Odisha can partake the offering.
The members of the Mahasabha including priests, astrologers and pandits performed puja at Brahmapur temple and then consulted the almanac to decide the ‘lagna’. Then the Brahmapur Temple Trust announced the timing of offering ‘Nabanna’.
Nuakhai is the most important agrarian festival in western Odisha and is celebrated with pomp and gaiety in several districts including Sambalpur, Balangir, Bargarh, Sundergarh, Kalahandi, Deogarh, Jharsuguda, Boudh and Sonepur.
On the day of Nuakhai, rice prepared from newly harvested paddy crop is offered as prasad to Maa Samaleswari. Then the people take the food prepared at their homes across western Odisha.
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