Sambalpur: The mass agrarian festival Nuakhai in western Odisha is scheduled to be celebrated September 8 (Sunday). According to the Odia almanac, it is the fifth day of lunar fortnight in the month of Bhadraba.
The ‘lagna’ (auspicious time) for offering ‘nabanna’ (new rice) to Goddess Samaleswari, the presiding deity of Sambalpur, has been fixed between 9:12am to 9:27am on that day. The lagna was fixed by priests and astrologers during a meeting at Brahmapura Jagannath temple in Jhaduapada of the town Tuesday.
Sources said the ‘lagna’ has been fixed as per the zodiac and the ascendant signs of the presiding deity, Samalei, in the temple.
In continuation of an age-old tradition, the priests and pundits from different areas assembled at Brahmapura temple at Jhaduapada Tuesday, a day after Janmashtami, to decide the lagna.
Later, the lagna calculated by the pundits were put together to finalise the auspicious time as the temple priest Santosh Panda performed special rituals before the deity. Sanjay Kumar Mishra of Brahmapura temple trust board read out the lagna (auspicious time) before the assembled priests, pandits and astrologers.
Thereafter, members of Brahmapura Trust Board Committee, priests and pundits took out a procession to Samaleswari temple.
The temple priests there welcomed them and, as per the tradition, the lagna was handed over to the head priest Ambika Prasad Ray of Samalei temple. Ray performed special rituals before the Goddess Samalei and offered the lagna before the deity. Samalei Trust Board president Sanjay Kumar Babu and other priests were present during the event.
PNN
