By Our Correspondent
BHUBANESWAR/SAMBALPUR: As per the lagna for the ritual fixed by the Pundit Mahasabha, the Nabanna will be offered to the Goddess between 10.15 am and 10.25 am on Saturday. Devotees will be allowed to have darshan of the Goddess at Samaleswari Temple in Sambalpur city following the ritual amid Covid guidelines between 12pm to 5.30 pm, sources said.
Keeping the rush of the devotees in view, the temple administration has changed the timing for public darshan. On the auspicious occasion, family members and relatives join for a get-together with a feast to mark the day. The younger members of the family seek the blessings of the elder ones by offering ‘Nuakhai Juhar’.
“ନୂଆଁଖାଇ ଜୁହାର୍ .ନୂଆଁଖାଇର୍ ଉଧେ ମାଏନ୍ତା ଗୁରୁଜନ୍, ମାଁ ବହେନ୍ ଆଉ ଦାଦା – ଭାଏ ମାନକୁଁ ସଭ୍କେ “ଜୁହାର୍” କରୁଛେଁ । ଆପନ୍ ମାନ୍କଁର୍ ଜୀବନ୍ ଥି, ପରିବାର୍ ଥି ସୁଖ, ଶାନ୍ତି ରହୁ ଆଉ ସଭେଁ ନିରାମୟ ଜୀବନ ଜିଉଁନ୍, ଇଟା କାମ୍ନା କରୁଛେଁ । #NuakhaiJuhar,” Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan tweeted @dpradhanbjp.
Padmashri Sudarsan Pattnaik has created a sandy image on Puri’s Flue Flag Golden Beach and wished people of Western Odisha on occasion of Nuakhai.“#NuakhaiJuhar May Maa #Samaleswari bless us all. My #SandArt on the agricultural festival of Western #Odisha, #Nuakhai.#ନୁଆଁଖାଇଜୁହାର,” Padmashri Sudarsan Pattnaik tweeted @sudarsansand
Nuakhai is an agricultural festival mainly observed by people of western Odisha in India. It is observed to welcome the new rice of the season. According to the calendar it is observed on panchami tithi (the fifth day) of the lunar fortnight of the month of Bhadrapada or Bhadraba (August–September), the day after the Ganesh Chaturthi festival.
