SAMBALPUR/ROURKELA: Nuakhai was celebrated with fervour and enthusiasm across Western Odisha, with families and communities coming together on Tuesday to offer the season’s first harvest to their presiding deities and share the new grain.
In Sambalpur, the Nabanna offering was made to Goddess Samaleswari at the Samaleswari Temple between 9.40 am and 9.54 am, as per the pre-decided auspicious time. The offering, prepared from the first harvest of the season, was dedicated to the deity, following which Nabanna was also offered to 115 other deities worshipped in the temple premises.
Thousands of devotees gathered at the temple to seek the blessings of Goddess Samaleswari and prayed for peace, happiness and prosperity for their families. Following the temple rituals, families across Sambalpur sat together for the feast. The traditional Nuakhai Juhar-Bhet followed the meal, with younger members paying their respects to elders and seeking their blessings.
People dressed in new clothes and observed traditional rituals, while homes were filled with the aroma of pitha and other festive delicacies. The beats of traditional instruments, including ghanta, conch shells and panchabadya, resonated across different parts of Sambalpur.
In the tribal hinterland of Sundargarh, Nuakhai was also marked as an occasion to honour women, reconnect with culture and tradition, promote social equality and celebrate collective living.
In Jhurimal village of Lefripada block, all 163 families, along with residents of nearby villages, gathered for a community celebration marked by Hulahuli, Haribol, Sankirtan and cultural programmes. The village street was transformed into a large community kitchen, where the first Nabanna prepared from the newly harvested paddy was offered to the village deity before the community feast.
The feast was followed by the traditional Nuakhai Bhetghat. Traditional and recreational activities, including Hulahuli, Badipita and a spoon race, added to the festivities.
Sambalpuri poet and music director Durgamadhab Panda, Sambalpuri singer Shatrughna Luha and Swaralakshmi contestant Madhusmita Naik were among those who performed during the celebrations.