PC: Samabesh Nayak/X
Bhubaneswar: Amid the wait for the GI tag, social media platforms on Friday were flooded with messages, celebrating the accidental dessert ‘chhenapoda’
Odisha has been observing Chhenapoda Dibasa on April 11 since 2022 to commemorates the birth anniversary of Sudarshan Sahoo, the genius behind this signature sweet dish of the state.
It is widely believed that Sudarshan, who owned a sweet shop at Dasapalla in Nayagarh, left sugar-infused chhena or cottage cheese with cardamon and cashew seasonings in a charcoal oven overnight and discovered an exquisitely delicious delicacy, which gave the state a distinct identity and flavour, the following morning. He slowly perfected ‘chhenapoda’, which literally means burnt cheese, with a caramelised crust. By baking it wrapped in sal leaves, he gave the cardamom-scented cottage cheesecake a distinct aroma.
However, he has credited his father Bidyadhar Sahoo, whom he assisted, for the creating the dessert which was also appreciated by the then Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru.
An article by writer Dr Biswabharati published in “Sachitra Bijaya” magazine in 1996, mentioned that chhenapoda was invented by a father-son team – Bidyadhar Sahoo (father) and Sudarshan Sahoo (son) in Daspalla in Nayagarh district in 1945. The shop belonged to Bidyadhar Sahoo and Sundarshan was then only about 14 years old.
In honour of the inventor of the sweetmeat and to popularise it, Odisha began trending #ChhenapodaDibasa for the first time on April 11, 2022. It is said that his family did not know Bidyadhar Sahoo’s birth date, and could only share the ‘co-creator’ Sudarshan Sahoo’s birth date- 11/4/1931.
And the celebration got bigger in 2023 with a Chhenapoda anthem, composed and choreographed by Abhijit Mishra.
However, Chhenapoda Dibasa is being celebrated in Daspalla on December 31 on the death anniversary of Bidyadhar Sahoo since 2022. The date was chosen by the family and residents of Daspalla, according to GI activist Dr Anita Sabat.
She also mentioned about a book by retired IAS officer and former Nayagarh collector Karunakar Patnaik in which he states: “Daspalla is the originator of the famous sweet “Chhena Podapitha” prepared and established by one Bidyadhar Sahu of Daspalla followed and propagated by his son Sudarshan Sahu at Nayagarh.”
“People of Daspalla agree that Bidyadhar Sahoo was the real creator along with his wife (and mother of Sudarshan Sahoo) Jemamani Maa, and both should get due credit for the same,” she added.
Last year, a get-together was organised in Bhubaneswar on December 30 by “Chhenapoda Srasta Bidyadhar Sahoo Smruti Surakhya Mancha” in association with Panini Educational & Cultural Trust, Foodies of Bhubaneswar, FoodFindo, and Odita Trust to create awareness about Chhenapoda and to ensure the right representation.
Still, messages poured in on Friday celebrating April 11 as Chhenapoda Dibasa.
Taking to his x handle, Chief Minister Mohan Majhi said that it’s time to take this unique taste of Odisha to the world.
Nayagarh MLA Arun Sahoo through a post on X shared his love for the sweet dish, while urging people to celebrate the day. “Though I don’t eat sweet, chhenapoda remains a weakness and sometime, it is all I need for dinner,” he said in a video message.
April 11 – ଛେନାପୋଡ଼ ଦିବସ। ଆସନ୍ତୁ ସମସ୍ତେ ଏହି ସ୍ୱତନ୍ତ୍ର ଦିବସଟିକୁ ପାଳନ କରିବା । #chenapoda pic.twitter.com/gUndOuoNFh
— Dr. Arun Kumar Sahoo (@dr_arunsahoo) April 10, 2025
Last month, Micro, Small, Medium Enterprises Minister Gokulananda Mallick had informed the Assembly that the application for GI tag for ‘chhenapoda’ is at the pre-examination stage in the GI registry office in Chennai.
The certification will help preserve authenticity of the dessert and boost its market value. It will also ensure that only ‘chhenapoda’ made in Nayagarh is marketed under that name, protecting its unique identity.
