The Sweet Smell Of ‘Muan’ Wafting From Every House Ahead Of Dhanu Sankranti In Odisha

Bhubaneswar: As per Hindu mythology, Dhanu Sankranti is celebrated in Odisha on the first day of lunar Pousha month. Special puja is offered to Lord Jagannath on this day and people also worship the Sun God.

It is on this day that the Sun enters Sagittarius and so the name, Dhanu Sankranti. This year, it will be observed on December 16.

On this occasion, people prepare Dhanu Muan, a special delicacy made of sweetened rice flakes, which is offered to Lord Jagannath.

Ahead of Dhanu Sankranti, businessmen living in the Silver City are preparing Dhanu Muan with great joy.

Likewise, the family members of Rabindra Nath Sahu of Gudia Sahi in the Khan Nagar area in Cuttack are also busy preparing Muan for Dhanu Sankranti.

“For Dhanu Sankranti, we make four types of Muan. One variety of Muan is roasted with ghee. The other three varieties are Chini Muan (made with sugar), Guda Muan (made with jaggery) and Gua ghee Muan. Besides, we mix Amla, Khoa, dry fruits, coconut, and different spices with the fried paddy. We supply this Muan to the people of Cuttack, Puri, Paradip and Jagatsinghpur too,” said Pratap Kumar Sahu, son of Rabindra Nath Sahu.

Dhanu Muan prepared by the Sahu family is in great demand.

“I have been buying Dhanu Muan from the Sahu family for the last 20 years. They sell it at a reasonable price. We will offer the Muan at the Shiv temple,” said Anil Dutta, a resident of Old Rausapatna.

“We have making Muan for the last 40 years. People’s love and demand for the Muans encourages us to more varieties of Muans. Eight to 10 families of Khan Nagar area are involved in making Muan,” said Pramila Sahu, a family member of Rabindra Nath Sahu’s family.

Notably, in Odisha, Pousha is considered the month of plenty. After harvesting the crop, a festival is organised to celebrate the hard labour and the good harvest.