Bhubaneswar, July 6: Niladri bije was celebrated in Puri, while the juicy rasgulla was the talk of the town here with people celebrating Rasgulla Divas.
The Trinity was offered rasgullas as bhog before they were taken into the sanctum sanctorum in the ceremonial procession pahandi. Since the Nabakalebar festival in 2015, the occasion of niladri bije has been dedicated to rasgullas by Odias worldwide.
The Puri Jagannath temple wore a festive look today as the Trinity returned to the 12th century shrine after their nine-day sojourn ended with the niladri bije ritual.
The festival gathered a lot of attention on Twitter with the hashtag #RasagolaDibasa. It was also the point of discussion on other social networking sites such as Facebook and Instagram with people sharing anecdotes and pictures relating to the sweetmeat.
A huge rush of devotees was seen at the Puri temple to watch the deities go back to their abode from their vacation at Gundicha temple. On Thursday evening, the adhara pana ritual was conducted when the siblings were offered special drinks.
Confectioners in Pahala decorated their kiosks with balloons and visitors were offered free sweetmeats. Located on NH-5 between Bhubaneswar and Cuttack, more than 300 people are engaged 80 kiosks making the sweet.
They also put up an exhibition to showcase various variants of the sweets.
Culture minister Ashok Chandra Panda said the humble rasgulla has created an identity for the Odia community. "We are committed to protect the identity of the sweet. It is very important to maintain its quality and taste so that we retain our uniqueness," said Panda. The confectioners also urged the government to celebrate the programme at Panthanivas in Bhubaneswar next year.
Rasgulla Divas also dominated as the central theme at a number of sweet shops with visitors getting a chance to witness how the state's favourite dessert is made.
While the people of the state remembered the day with enthusiasm, the state government seemed to have forgotten its purpose of obtaining the geographical indication tag for the sweetmeat, the process for which began two years ago.
Following a debate with Bengal, a committee was formed that presented a 27-page research paper and a 100-page document comprising 75 points proving that the rasgulla originated in Odisha.
Experts who worked on the project said the state government had not taken any further steps after that. "The state government was to examine the report and take appropriate steps to present the evidence before the Union government. But nothing has been done yet," said Asit Mohanty, committee member.
