Bhubaneswar: It’s ‘Rasagola Dibasa’, a day to remember the history and origin of the sweet. Ask anyone in Odisha and they will instantly have an emotional connect with the word ‘Rasagola’, no matter what’s their food preferrence be like. Reason being: ‘Rasagola is more than a sweet, it is an emotion and is intrinsically connected with the Shree Jagannath culture.’
No wonder, why Odisha was locked in a fight with Bengal over the sweet’s origin. And, Odisha’s Rasagola was found to have historical referrences in the 15th century Dandi Ramayana of Balaram Das. It was a key evidence that fetched Odisha the ‘GI tag’ for its own version of Rasagola, which is ‘very soft to feel, juicy and non-chewy in consistency, and can be swallowed without teeth pressure’ unlike other chewy versions sold elsewhere in the country, on July 29 in 2019.
Since 2015, people of Odisha have been celebrating Rasagola Dibasa on Niladri Bije (the rituals of the re-entry of deities into Srimandar). But, Rasagola has been associated with the Shree Jagannath culture since time immemorial. When Lord Jagannath returns to Srimandir after completing his nine-day sojourn from Gundicha temple (birthplace), he offers rasagola to his wife Goddess Laxmi to placate her. Only then does she allow him to re-enter the shrine.
How did Odisha celebrate #RasagolaDibasa this year?
From social media to Srimandir, people in Odisha celebrated #Rasagola Dibasa in every corner of the state. Thousands of devotees were seen offering rasagolas to the three deities mounted on their chariots in Puri. They later distributed the sweet among friends, family and well-wishers. Social media users shared pictures of Rasagola and wished their virtual friends. Be it Instagram, X or Facebook, reels on Rasagola and photographs of people with the sweet flooded these platforms. Former Chief Minister and BJD supremo Naveen Patnaik and Odisha Governor Raghubar Das wished people on their official X handles.
Special offer for customers at Pahala
The traders and vendors at Pahala in the outskirts of Bhubaneswar will organize a cultural programme for customers on Friday evening. The shops at Pahala were decorated with flowers on the day. The preparations for making rasagola had started way ahead of the usual working hours on Friday, said one of the vendors. “Anyone buying rasagola from the stalls here today, will get sepcial discount. Say, if you buy 20 rasagolas, we will offer you five for free,” said a seller at Pahala.
Taking Salepur Rasagola for Lord’s Bhog
Like every year, people from Salepur travelled in a special bus ton Puri, carrying Rasagola in huge quantities for offering the sweet to Lord Jagannath. “We have been offering the Salepur Rasagola to the Lord every year. This year also, we are doing the same. We are blessed that Mahaprabhu accepts our offering,” a devotee said.
The Rasagola anthem
Celebrated Odia author Subhransu Panda has created an innovative Rasagola anthem. It was released on Thursday. The song depicts the Jagannatha culture, the temple tradition entangled with Rasagola, and the divine discord between Jagannatha and his wife Laxmi. Panda conceptualised and wrote the song, while Abhijeet Mishra, a renowned vocalist, composed and sang it.”The song is a fusion of mediaeval-era traditional Odia music and modern composition. Three parts of this anthem follow the pattern of three traditional songs composed by the great Odia poets Upendra Bhanja, Salabega, and Banamali Dasa. Jaganatha Dasa’s Bhagabata is the sole inspiration for the song’s opening lines. The song also depicts the Dahuka Boli of Ratha Jatra,” Panda said.
