Nuakhai 'Lagna' Fixed
On Thursday, the 'lagna' (auspicious period) for presenting 'Nabanna' to the presiding deity during western Odisha's renowned festival 'Nuakhai' was declared.
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Sambalpur: On Thursday, the 'lagna' (auspicious period) for presenting 'Nabanna' to the presiding deity during western Odisha's renowned festival 'Nuakhai' was declared.
The Pandit Mahasabha of Sambalpur's Brahmapur temple, which is in charge of determining the time to begin the puja, announced the 'lagna' based on astrological calculations.
The Mahasabha said that on September 20, puja and offering of 'Nabanna' (cooked new rice) will be held at Sambalpur's presiding deity in Samaleswari temple between 10.27 a.m. and 10.42 a.m. People from all around western Odisha can engage in the offering after 'Nabanna' is offered to Maa Samaleswari.
The members of the Mahasabha including priests, astrologers and pandits conducted puja at Brahmapur temple and then checked the almanac to decide the ‘lagna’. The Brahmapur Temple Trust then announced the schedule of the 'Nabanna' offering.
Nuakhai, the most prominent agrarian festival in western Odisha, is celebrated with pomp and gaiety in a number of districts, including Sambalpur, Balangir, Bargarh, Sundergarh, Kalahandi, Deogarh, Jharsuguda, Boudh, and Sonepur.
On the day of Nuakhai, rice made from newly harvested paddy crop is offered to Maa Samaleswari as prasad. The food cooked at their houses is then transported across western Odisha.
