Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Bhubaneswar, July 17:

The second season of Rasagola Dibasa was celebrated across Odisha with much fanfare, which coincides with the Niladri Bije of the Lords in Puri.

pahala rasagola

Special events were organized at Pahala, the epicentre of modern-day Rasagola in the state. Different flavours, sizes and colours were prepared for the special occasion.

The events were aimed at creating awareness among the Odias about the dish and its roots in the Niladri Bije ritual of Lord Jagannath.

Social media went into a frenzy with hundreds of tweets pouring in throughout the day. Many distinguished people tweeted on #RasagolaDibasa. Besides, internationally acclaimed sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik also created a sand art on Puri beach to mark the occasion.

“Happy #RasagolaDibasa enjoy sweet and delicious Rosogollas,” celebrity chef Sanjeev Kapoor tweeted.

Owners of sweetmeat shops were equally stimulated at the celebration to promote the syrupy sweet at home and away.

The owners of the sweet stalls distributed the mouth-watering sweet free to passersby at Pahala.

“When we first celebrated Rasagola Dibasa last year, the war over its origin ensued. The state government has prepared all documents to stake its claim over the origin of the sweet,” said Bimbadhar Behera, President of Utkal Mistanna Byabasayi Samiti.

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 Rath Yatra, where the Lord offers the sweet to Mahalaxmi to pacify her anger. It is believed that Lord Jagannath tried to appease his consort after he returned to his abode after a nine-day vacation without her.

On the other hand, Rasagola Dibasa was also celebrated at 27th Raahgiri Day in the capital city. Preparation of the sweet was showcased at the Raahgiri strip this morning.

While majority of the speakers at the inaugural ceremony spoke about the Odia pride and the connection of the spongy and cheesy sweet with a deep-rooted history with Lord Jagannath’s temple traditions for centuries, researcher and a lead author of the “Rasgulla report for the GI tagging” by the state government, Asit Mohanty, said the panel has gathered some three/four strong evidence in its 150-page report, so that Odisha’s claim over the wonderful delicacy will be stronger, sharper and smoother to sail through the GI tagging process.

Historians also believe that Rasgulla was originated in Puri as “Khira Mohana”, which later evolved into the Pahala Rasgulla. It has been given to Goddess Laxmi by Lord Jagannath while returning back to the temple after the Car Festival and the Rasgullas are treated as a sweet gift for the Goddess for Centuries and an old tradition itself.

While Soumya Ranjan Patnaik asked the youth to love their language, state and the traditions, he also pointed out even if in finding a way towards the GI tagging for Rasgulla, Lord Jagannath is leading the way and HIS temple tradition of `Niladri Bije’ is proving helpful.

He also said that just like the plumbing sector is dominated by the Odias from Manhattan to Brunei and from Durban to Moscow, there are many other skills Odias can manage to dominate the industry and there is an urgent need to knowing them, identifying them and train local guys on the trades.