Raja Mahotsav 2023 inaugurated in OTDC; Pitha counters made live across all OTDC hospitality units in Odisha

Bhubaneswar: Raja, the annual festival celebrating womanhood in Odisha, was inaugurated at Odisha Tourism Development Corporation (OTDC) Panthanivas in Bhubaneswar today.

Raja Mahotsav was inaugurated by Tourism Minister Aswini Kumar Patra in the presence of OTDC Chairman, Lenin Mohanty and General Manager Lagnajit Rout, as part of the three-day festival starting from 14 June to 16 June, 2023.

Speaking on the occasion, the Minister said that OTDC has made itself synonymous with the festival of Raja. The Raja Mahotsav which was started by OTDC in the year 2010 aims at promoting authentic Odia delicacies coupled with celebrations during Raja including traditional Raja Doli, Raja Pitha and Raja Paan, as a tribute to Mother Earth as well as a mark of respect for women folk.

The Chairman also spoke on the occasion and thanked the audiences and media personnel present for helping OTDC in propagating the culture and traditions of the State.

On the occasion of the Mahotsav, special arrangements have been made to ensure the sale of Raja delicacies and sweets across all hospitality units of OTDC in Odisha including Nimantran Restaurant in Bhubaneswar and Silver City Boat Club in Cuttack.

Further, traditional Raja Doli has been set up and Mehndi artists have been invited at Panthanivas, Bhubaneswar to beautify the hands of women visiting the OTDC hospitality unit in the three-day festival, free of cost. Joint Secretary, Department of Tourism Rajkishore Palei and Company Secretary of OTDC Prashant Panda also spoke on the occasion.

Further, in an effort to make Raja Pitha accessible to one and all and also to celebrate the festive fervor, ‘Pitha on Wheels’ special vans have been deployed by the OTDC for the sale of Raja delicacies and shall be stationed at important localities of Bhubaneswar like Sahid Nagar, Khandagiri and Patia etc from 8 am to 5 pm. These vans will provide an option for take away of Raja Pitha and delicacies prepared by OTDC.

It may be noted here that the sale of Raja delicacies in the year 2022 helped OTDC generate revenues of around INR 12 lakh. With the celebrations this year, OTDC aims to improve further on the sales volume of Raja Pitha and more importantly keep the culture and traditions associated with Raja alive.

The inaugural event witnessed the participation of senior officials from OTDC and the Department of Tourism. Enthusiastic citizens, especially girls and young women thronged OTDC Panthanivas and enjoyed the experience of Raja Doli and Raja Pitha on the occasion.