Culture and Cuisines of Odisha

CUISINES OF ODISHA

The cuisine of Odisha has a distinctive cooking style and the same is followed in the preparation of the dishes. A typical main course consists of rice or chapatti, along with dal, bhaji, bharta, ambila(sweet and sour preparation) and dessert. 

Temples in the region make offerings to the presiding deities. The prasada of the Jagannath Temple is well known and is specifically called Maha Prasad meaning greatest of all prasadas. It consists of 56 food items offered to Lord Jagannath. Mahaprasad includes items like rice, ghee rice, mixed rice, cumin seed and asaphoetida-ginger rice mixed with salt, and dishes like sweet dal, plain dal mixed with vegetables, mixed curries of different types, Saaga Bhaja', Khatta, porridge etc. All these are offered to the Lord in ritualistic ways. It is said that every day 56 types of Prasad are offered to the Lord during the time of worship and all of these are prepared in the kitchens of the temple and sold to the devotees in Ananda Bazaar. 

Now lets take a look on the list of dishes: 

Rice: 

* Pakhala is a rice dish made by adding water with curd to cooked rice. It may then be allowed to ferment overnight.It is served with green chillies, onions, yoghurt, badi etc. It is primarily eaten in summer. 

* Khechidi is a rice dish cooked with lentils.

* Kanika is a sweet rice dish, garnished with raisins and nuts.

Dal : 

* Dalma: A dish made from dal and vegetables. It is generally made from toor dal and contains chopped vegetables like green papaya, unripe banana, eggplant, pumpkin, gourd, etc. It is garnished with turmeric, mustard seeds, and panch phutana. There are several variations of this dish.

Curries :

Odia cooking has some different type of curries based on the overall preparation style. Tarakari, Santula, Rai, Rasa. Some are:

* Khajuri khata: A sweet-and-sour dish made from tomato and dates.* Amba khatta: A khatta made from raw mangoes.

* Ouu khatta: Elephant apple khatta 

* Dhania-patra chutney: A chutney made from coriander leaves.

Saaga : 

FESTIVALS OF ODISHA 

A large number of festivals is celebrated with great enthusiasm in Odisha. Some of the very well known festivals are listed as follows:

Makara Sankranti : On this occasion people prepare Makara Chaula.Makara Sankranti celebration is next to the Odia traditional new year Maha Vishuva Sankranti which falls in mid April. Tribal groups celebrate with traditional dancing, eating their particular dishes sitting together, and by lighting bonfires.

Dola Purnima

Dola Purnima and Holi: "Dola Purnima" is a popular festival in the coastal districts of Odisha. Lord Jagannath is worshiped as the name of Dolagovinda in this festival. On this day Odia calendar becomes ready and is offered to deity Jagannath. Followed by Dola Purnima comes Holi , the festival of Colors. 

Pana Sankranti : Pana Sankranti, also known as Maha Vishub Sankranti, is the traditional new year day festival of  Hindus in Odisha.In the Odia tradition, the Pana Sankranti is believed to be the birthday of the Hindu deity Hanuman.  People from all over the state eat festive chhatua and drink Bel Pana to mark the occasion. 

Pana Sankranti

Raja Parba : Raja Parba is a three-day festival celebrated in the coastal districts in Ashadha month starting with the first day of the month. It usually falls mid-June. This is festival dedicated to Basu-mata, the Earth goddess. During this period, no agricultural activities occur to allow the goddess to rest. The first day is called pahila raja, the second day is proper raja or Raja Sankranti and third day is called basi raja. Girls play on various types of swings. People exchange pithas among relatives and friends. 

Ratha Jatra

Durga Puja

Ratha Jatra : Ratha-Jatra is an annual Hindu festival which originated in Puri in Odisha. The festival is celebrated all over Odisha on the 2nd day of dark fortnight the lunar month of Ashadha (Asadha Sukla Dutiya) usually in June/July. The festival involves transporting of the idols of the deities Jagannatha, Balabhadra and Subhadra on giant chariot from the Puri temple to the Gundicha temple. The chariots are pulled by devotees with ropes. 

Durga Puja : Durga Puja occurs in the month of Ashvin (October/September). It is a 10-day-long festival. During the period, goddess Durga is worshipped in Shakti peethas or temporary shrines called pandals. The Durga Puja of Cuttack is notable for its usage of silver and gold tarakasi (filigree) work on the crown of the idols and also on the pandals. The city Cuttack attracts lots of tourists during this period of the year. After the worship in Cuttack, on the tenth day of Vijayadashami, the idols are taken out in extravagant processions and are immersed in the river.

Kali Puja: Kali Puja occurs in the month of Ashvin(October). It is celebrated after Durga Puja ends. It is to commemorate the legendary tale of Goddess Kali dancing in anger and stepping over Lord Shiva & to celebrate the triumph of good over evil. It is considered a big festival in the northern districts of Odisha, such as Kendujhar. In particularly Kendujhar district a week long mela goes on during Kali puja. After the week is over the idol of Goddess Kali is taken on a grand procession and then submerged in a holy river or any water body nearby.

Deepavali : Diwali the festival of lights is celebrated with lighting of small clay lamps and bursting various crackers. On the eve of Diwali the families remember their forefathers by burning jute stalks and call upon them for blessing with the Badabadua verse. 

Nuakhai : Nuakhai (ନୂଆ ଖାଇ) is particularly celebrated in the Sambalpuri cultural region. It is celebrated to welcome the new paddy (ଧାନ) harvest. It falls on the day after Ganesh Chaturthi. People on this occasional greet each other with the words "Nuakhai Juhar".

GajaLaxmi Puja

GajaLaxmi Puja : The Gaja-Lakshmi Puja  is celebrated primarily in Dhenkanal and Kendrapara town. It is an 11-day festival dedicated to Goddess Lakshmi, which begins on Kumar Purnima.

Bali Jatra/Kartika Purnima : Bali Jatra is celebrated to mark the voyages made by ancient sea traders from Odisha to Bali. It falls on the day of Kartik Purnima. On this day, miniatures of the boats called boitas are released in ponds, rivers and the sea.Festival is celebrated for a week all across the state. A major annual trade fair is also held in Cuttack. 

CULTURE OF ODISHA

Odisha formerly known as Orissa is the land of ancient Kalinga from where the light of Buddhism spread throughout India. Odisha boast it's rich cultural heritage through its historical monuments , traditional arts , sculpture , dance and music. The finesse and grandeur of Odisha's architecture is exhibited in its temples that the Aryans left behind. Some of them are among the finest in the country. Of these, the most important are the Lingaraja Temple, Bhubaneswar , Jagannath Temple at Puri and the great Sun Temple at Konark. 

The largest of all temples that the Temple City of Bhubaneswar boasts of, it is one of the major tourist attractions of the state is the Lingaraja Temple. Here Lord Shiva is worshipped. 

The coastal town of Puri enshrines Lord Jagannath in this colossal temple. It is one of the Char Dham pilgrimages that one is expected to cover at least once in his lifetime. The temple is world-famous for its annual chariot festival or Rath Yatra.                                                                                                    

Another form of visual art is Silver filigree locally knowns as Tarakasi. This art form is about 500 years old and hails from Cuttack know as the ' Silver City'. The process consists of drawing silver through a series of consecutively smaller holes to produce fine strands of wire. 

ODISHA

Odisha is one of the states of India located in eastern India. It is the 8th largest state by area and the 11th largest by population. Odia is the official and most widely spoken language. Odisha has 30 districts and these districts have been placed under three different revenue divisions to streamline their governance. 

The capital and largest city of the state is Bhubaneswar. Some other important cities include Cuttack , Rourkela , Berhampur and Sambalpur.  Odisha has abundant natural resources and a large coastline. It contains a fifth of India's coal, a quarter of its iron ore, a third of its bauxite reserves and most of the chromite. Rourkela Steel Plant was the first integrated steel plant in public sector in India , built with the collaboration of Germany. 

Odisha has a network of roads , railways , airways and seaports. Bhubaneswar is well connected with roads , rails and air with the rest of India. The majority of people in Odisha are Hindu and also there is a rich cultural heritage in the state. Tourism in Odisha is one of the main contributors to the economy in Odisha , towering mountains , serene lakes and frolicking rivers. Odisha is one of the most major tourism sectors of India with various tourists attractions,ranging from wildlife reserves , beaches , temples and monuments. Bhubaneswar is known as City of Temples. Some of the tourists attracting temples are Lingaraj Temple , Rajarani Temple, Jagannath Temple and Konark Sun Temple.