Cuttack: Amidst the lockdown calm, Parijata, a rare flower, has blossomed in the garden of Prahallad Nayak, a resident of Nuagarh village of Cuttack Sadar.
Prahallad’s younger son Pulak had planted the Parijata sapling about eight years ago. Parijata holds mythological importance. Lord Krishna is believed to have stolen Parijata flower from Indra’s Paradise which was enacted in ‘Parijata-Harana’, which has two forms in the Harivamsa. At the behest of his wife, Devi Satyabhama, Krishna had uprooted the Parijata tree from the Nandana Vana of Indra and brought it to Dwaraka.
Interacting with Orissa POST, environmentalist Jayakrushna Panigrahi said, “Although the tree has many medicinal properties, it’s popular because it reduces negativity and mental stress. In a way one can say that its great in keeping mental health perfect which is the need of the hour where uncertainty and fear has gripped the common man.”
Prahallad has also stated that they take this blooming of Parijata flower as a positive sign and a blessing of Lord Jagannath amidst the ongoing fear of pandemic COVID-19. The Nayak family has dedicated the auspicious flower in their village to Jagannath temple in Puri and prayed the Lord to save the mankind from the deadly virus.