Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Tourism Development Corporation (OTDC) launched its ‘Raja Mahotsav’ with various attractions for women at Pantha Nivas in Bhubaneswar on Tuesday.
Inaugurating the Raja Mahotsav on the eve of Raja festival, which marks celebration of womanhood, Tourism Minister Aswini Kumar Patra said the Mahotsav, which was started by OTDC in 2010, has been gaining popularity with every passing year. Besides promoting authentic Odia delicacies, it has come up with various entertaining programmes for the women.
“Raja celebration is not only a tribute to Mother Earth but also a mark of respect for all women,” he added.
OTDC Chairman Lenin Mohanty said the three-day festival will be celebrated in the Pantha Nivas from June 14 to 16. He thanked all guests for helping OTDC promote the culture and traditions of Odisha. General manager, OTDC Lagnajit Rout, joint secretary, Tourism department Raj Kishore Palei and Company Secretary, OTDC Prashant Panda also spoke.
During Raja Mahotsav, the OTDC has made special arrangements for sale of various delicacies and sweets across all units of OTDC in the state including Nimantran Restaurant in Bhubaneswar and Silver City Boat Club in Cuttack.
Besides, traditional ‘Dolis’ (swings) have been set up and Mehndi artists invited to Pantha Nivas to beautify the hands of women free of cost.
In order to make special ‘Raja Pitha’ accessible to all, the OTDC will run special vans “Pitha on Wheels”. The vehicles will sell delicacies at important places of the city including Sahid Nagar, Khandagiri and Patia from 8 am to 5 pm.
It may be noted that the sale of Raja delicacies had generated a revenue of around Rs 12 lakh for the OTDC in 2022.
