By SANTOSH MOHANTY
The celebration of three-day Raja Parba (Raja festival) from
June (Ashadha) 14 to 16 in Odisha signifies womanhood and rejuvenation of
Mother Earth. 'Rajas' in Sanskrit means menstruation. The festival, also known
as Raja Sankranti, is unique as it is directly related to womanhood and
fertility which are key component of reproduction system in the universe. It is
widely believed that Mother Earth awaits eagerly to the onset of monsoon to
cool itself from the scorching heat during summer. Raja Parba also heralds the
agriculture season in Odisha. It is believed that like a woman, the mother
earth also goes through the process of menstruation, and gets cooled down after
showers following onset of rainy season. In this way Raja Parba resonates
around the theory that it is equivalent to the reproduction system in
agriculture like the humans. The three day Raja Sankranti is divided into
Pahili Raja(First Raja), Raja Sankranti(Mithuna Sankranti) and Basi Raja(Last
Day).
Delicious Poda Pitha (Roasted Cake)
Poda Pitha: Womenfolks in Odisha toil for a week before
the beginning of Raja Parba like cleaning household articles and making
arrangements for Poda Pitha (Roasted Cake) which is the most delicious item in
Raja Festival. Poda Pitha(Roasted Cake) is a traditional dish prepared in
Odisha during Raja celebration. In Odia, 'Poda' means burnt and 'Pitha' means
cake. The cake is prepared from fermented rice, black gram (Biri in Odia),
molasses (Guda) and coconut(Nadia). The ingredients of rice, coconut, jaggery
and biri batter are blended into right quantities to be roasted on ovens.
Homemakers in Odisha also prepare other delicious items like Manda Pitha,
Arisha and Chakuli to be eaten in these three days while indulging in fun and
merrymaking. All the cakes have the common ingredient of rice flour. In the
past, before the introduction of cooking gas, most households in Odisha were
roasting the cake over chullhas (wood-fire ovens). Fire woods in small pieces
were used to burn in the chullahs. But, the chullahs are now thing of the past
as gas stoves and induction cookers have taken their place. This Poda Pitha is
a favourite dish of Lord Jagannath in Puri.
Womenfolks do not do household chores during the three-day celebration and enjoy Swings ('Doli' called in Odia), all through the day and evening. Without Swings, celebration of Raja Parba is meaningless. As the festival is held in honour of womanhood, young girls and women enjoy the three-day rest period like our mother earth which rests before the onset of monsoon. Women and girls in Odisha are forbidden to perform household chores during the celebration of Raja and therefore they spend their time on Swings clad in new clothes.
In some parts of Odisha, folk dances are staged accompanied by cultural festivities to mark the celebration of Raja Parba. Although Raja Festival is purely dedicated to women and exclusively their own, men also take the opportunity to showcase their mastery over skills in different sporting activities like Kabadi, the game that demands sheer intelligence and power. Kabaddi is a game played between two groups in open fields near mango orchards or open courtyards in villages. This game is played bare foot. Both the teams compete with each other for tagging the opponents by holding their breathe and chanting kabadi..kabadi.
Uniqueness: Community bonding is the core essence of Raja Parba. Unity in diversity also plays important role during the festival as villagers contribute their might to conduct fairs and cultural activities to mark the celebration to make it a grand success in every respect. Indian society is replete with taboos, but Odisha stands out apart from rest of the country during Raja Parba as it does not consider menstruation as a taboo. This is very rare in India. People of Odisha relate the feminine community to mother earth and acclaim their role in creation in high esteem. The Raja Parba symbolizes deep rooted connection with nature and heritage. It is heartening to note that Odisha is still retaining the rustic mosaic with the celebration of Raja Parba despite the advent of modern day culture and technological advancement. Celebration of womanhood and life cycles of nature is a unique feature of Raja Parba in Odisha and this is not found anywhere in the world.
