SAMBALPUR: The sacred Saria or Sathia paddy reached Maa Samaleswari temple on Sunday morning ahead of Nuakhai, the agrarian festival of western Odisha. The fresh harvest was brought from Balbaspur village under Sambalpur Sadar block by the family of Subash Behera who has been entrusted with this responsibility for the last 12 years. Behera offered the paddy to chief priest Ambika Ray at the temple at around 10 am on Sunday.
The Nabanna ritual will be performed at the temple between 10.33 and 10.55 am on August 28, when the first rice from this harvest will be offered to the goddess before the community celebrates the festival. The paddy variety, locally known as Sathia dhan or Saria dhan, is unique as it matures within 60 days. The crop is specially grown organically for the deity over a small patch of land every year. Before harvesting, rituals are performed in the field including pouring milk over the crop. Subsequently, the paddy is reaped in its semi-mature stage when the grains still contain milk.
Speaking about the tradition, Behera said, “For over a decade, we have been offering this paddy to Maa Samaleswari. The crop is grown naturally, and once harvested, it is brought to the temple and handed over to the chief priest. It is a matter of faith and devotion that this variety has been used for Nabanna rituals at the shrine for centuries.”
The chief priest explained that the harvested paddy is first dried, de-husked, and stored at his residence. On the day of Nuakhai, rice flour from the grain will be prepared into Nabanna prasad using ghee, honey, jaggery and milk, which will then be offered to the deity. As per tradition, the date and auspicious time for Nuakhai are decided a day after Janmashtami during Nandotsav by the Pandit Mahasabha. This year, the festival will be observed on August 28.