Bhubaneswar, June 15: The three-day long festival 'Raja Parba', which celebrates the onset of monsoons and earth's womanhood, is underway with pomp and gaiety in Odisha.

People from different walks of life celebrated Pahili Raja on Friday. Today, the festival is being celebrated as Raja Sankranti with great enthusiasm and joy across the state. The unique festival will end with 'Vasumati gadhua' tomorrow.

As part of the celebrations, girls and newly wedded women wear new dresses, apply “alta” on their feet, “mehendi” on their hands, spend time at leisure, play indoor & outdoor games and enjoy the 'Doli Jhula'. They also savour traditional delicacies with some notable dishes being 'Podo Pitha', 'Manda Pitha' and 'Arisha Pitha'.

The festival, which started as a tribal practice, is based on the belief that Mother Earth menstruates for those three days and she is given a ceremonial bath on the fourth day.

It is also believed that the mother Goddess Earth or the divine wife of Lord Vishnu undergoes menstruation during the first three days. The fourth day is called Vasumati Gadhua or the ceremonial bath of Bhudevi.

The term Raja has come from Rajaswala (meaning a menstruating woman) and during the medieval period, the festival became more popular as an agricultural holiday remarking the worship of Bhudevi, who is the wife of lord Jagannath. A silver idol of Bhudevi is still found in Puri Temple aside from Lord Jagannath.

As long as the festival goes on, no agricultural activity like ploughing or sowing takes place for it is believed that Mother Earth goes through rejuvenation during these three days.

President Droupadi Murmu, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, former CM Naveen Patnaik, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and other dignitaries greeted the people on the auspicious occasion. The leaders extended their warm wishes to the people of Odisha and hoped that the festival would bring happiness and prosperity.

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