Puri: Chief Minister Mohan Majhi on Saturday unveiled Panjika (Odia New Year calendar) during his visit to Shree Jagannath Temple in Odisha’s Puri town on Saturday.
The calendar has been published by the Shree Jagannatha Temple Administration (SJTA).
Speaking on the occasion, the CM said he felt blessed after having darshan of the sibling deities at the 12th-century shrine. “Odisha will be celebrating Odia New Year tomorrow. The Odia calendar was earlier dedicated to the Lords. This is an almanac of Hindu festivals and contains dates of auspicious days and timings of sunrise and sunset along with horoscopes for the year. It serves as a guide and is also a reflection of our vibrant cultural heritage,” he said.
Majhi was accompanied by Law Minister Prithviraj Harichandan and Revenue & Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari. Chief Secretary Manoj Ahuja, SJTA Chief Administrator Arabinda Kumar Padhee, Puri Collector Siddharth Shankar Swain and Puri SP Vinit Agrawal were also present.
The price of the calendar along with the cover has been fixed at Rs 100.
The Odia New Year is celebrated as Maha Visuba Sankranti and Hanuman Jayanti or Pana Sankranti. It is celebrated on the first day of the traditional solar month of Meṣa, which corresponds to the lunar month Baisakha.