Sambalpur: In a significant prelude to the Nuakhai festival, freshly harvested rice has been ceremoniously brought to the Samaleswari Temple, where the sacred "Nabanna" ritual is scheduled to take place between 10:33 AM and 10:55 AM. As per tradition, this marks the formal offering of the season’s first grain to the presiding deity, Maa Samaleswari.
Nuakhai, the agrarian festival of Western Odisha, is centered around offering the first produce of the harvest to the divine, symbolizing gratitude and new beginnings. As part of established custom, the naibedya-a sacred offering prepared from the new rice-is first presented to the goddess before it is consumed by devotees.
This year, the Bhoi family from A. Katapali played a pivotal role by delivering the newly harvested rice to the temple. The rice was formally handed over to the chief priest and subsequently distributed among other temple priests, ensuring preparations for the ritual proceed in accordance with age-old traditions.
The offering of Nabanna to Maa Samaleswari officially heralds the beginning of Nuakhai celebrations across the region later in the day.
