Bhubaneswar: A rare total lunar eclipse will be visible across India, including Odisha, on Sunday, September 7, coinciding with Bhadrapada Purnima.

In Odisha, the eclipse will be clearly visible in cities such as Cuttack, Bhubaneswar, Puri, Jajpur, Berhampur, Sambalpur, and Rourkela. According to the Khadiratna Panjika, the partial phase will begin at 9:57 PM, followed by the total phase starting at 11:01 PM. The peak, or middle phase, will occur at 11:42 PM, and the total eclipse will end at 12:23 AM.

Astrologers have described this as a rare cosmic alignment, as the last such eclipse during Bhadrapada Purnima was observed in 2006, and the next one will occur after 139 years, on September 30, 2164.

Traditional practices associated with the eclipse include restrictions on food consumption and rituals. As per astrologer Devadarsi Khadiratna, people should avoid meals and religious ceremonies starting from 12:57 PM on Sunday, nearly nine hours before the eclipse begins, until it ends at 1:27 AM. However, exceptions are allowed for children, the elderly, and the sick.

After the eclipse ends, ritual baths and worship are recommended during the Brahma Muhurta (early hours before sunrise), with regular cooking and meals resuming only after sunrise on Monday. Rituals such as sraddha can be performed before 12:57 PM on Sunday without restriction, the astrologer said.