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Bhubaneswar, April 13: People celebrated ‘Pana Sankranti’, which is the Oriya New Year, with accustomed gaiety and religious fervour Wednesday. The day is popularly known as ‘Maha Vishuva Sankranti’.
It marks the transition of the Sun into the zodiac sign Aries and generally falls on April 13 or 14 each year.
It is a practice on the day to imbibe ‘bela pana’, a traditional drink prepared by blending fruits including pulp of stone apple (bela), horse gram (Chhatua) water, cardamom, and milk. The drink is offered as oblations to deities and also distributed as prasad.
In Bhubaneswar, pana was also distributed at water kiosks and prepared at homes.
The priest at a Shiva temple near Jaydev Vihar told Orissa POST: “It is an auspicious day for all Oriyas today. On this day, tiny potfuls of ‘pana’ or the sweetened drink ‘Mishri’ and water are tied to the basil (tulsi) plant. There is a hole at the bottom of this pot, which allows water to drip representing rain.”
He went on to elucidate the importance of the festival. “It is very special day for us. We believe this symbolic preparation signifies water being the most important constituent sustaining life on earth, which must be provided to all in summer.”
Apart from Pana, Oriyas also consume chhatua flour, along with banana and curd after offering it to the basil plant.
The day is also associated with birth of Lord Hanuman. Many devotees of the monkey god made a beeline to temples dedicated to Hanuman on the day to take his blessings.
Women such as Meenakshi Balabantray spent time at the temple chanting the Hanuman Chalisa at the temple in Unit-1.
Meenakshi said: “Nobody would like to start a day like new year without blessings of Hanuman. My family came here for His blessings.” People from many parts of the state had come to temples in the city.
The day is also considered special for newly-wed women. According to Niharika Mohanty, a homemaker, Pana Sankranti marks the day lord Hanuman descended on earth. Many temples organised pujas and bhajans for Hanuman on the day. Cultural activities were also organised at different places in the city.
Sikhs observe the day as ‘Baisakhi’. Gurudwaras in the city celebrated the occasion with pomp and grandeur.