Odisha celebrates ‘Rasagola Dibasa’ with gaiety

Bhubaneswar: The fifth edition of ‘Rasagola Dibasa’ is being celebrated across Odisha today with much fanfare, which coincides with the Niladri Bije of Lord Jagannath and his siblings in Puri.

Started in the year 2015, the day is observed to reaffirm the birth of the syrupy dessert in Odisha and cherish its link to the Jagannath Culture.

The centuries-old dish has its roots in the Odia culture and tradition as evident from the Niladri Bije ritual of Lord Jagannath at the end of Ratha Jatra, where the Lord offers the sweet to Mahalaxmi to pacify her anger. It is believed that Lord Jagannath tries to appease his consort after he returns to his abode after a nine-day vacation without her.

Internationally acclaimed sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik sculpted a sand art on the Puri sea beach on the occasion of Rasagola Dibasa.

Today on the occasion of #NiladriBije, Lord Jagannath offers Rasagola to Goddess MahaLakshmi. We celebrate this Day as #RasagolaDibasa. My SandArt at #Puri beach, #Odisha. #RathaJatra pic.twitter.com/MtrUbGEo6T

— Sudarsan Pattnaik (@sudarsansand) July 15, 2019

Worth mentioning, experts have claimed of Rasagola being cited in ‘Dandee Ramayana’, the Odia adaptation of the Valmiki Ramayana by sage poet Balaram Das, the eldest of the Panchasakha in the 15th century.

Further, Dandee Ramayana has featured in World e-Book of 1921 published by Calcutta University which has mention of Rasagola’s association with traditions and practices associated with Lord Jagannath.