| Maha Bishuba Sankranti Pana Sankranti | |
|---|---|
_offerings_with_Bela_Pana_juice.jpg) Pana Sankranti (Maha Vishuba Sankranti) offerings withBela Pana | |
| Official name | Maha Bishuba Sankranti |
| Also called | Pana Sankranti Odia Nua Barsa |
| Observed by | Odias |
| Type | Social, Cultural, Religious |
| Significance | Odia New Year |
| Celebrations | Meru Jatra, Jhaamu Jatra, Chadak Parba |
| Observances | Pujas,processions,Bela Pana |
| Date | 1stBaisakha ofOdia calendar |
| 2025 date | 14 April |
| Related to | South and Southeast Asian solar New Year |
Maha Bishuba Sankranti (Odia:ମହା ବିଷୁବ ସଂକ୍ରାନ୍ତି), also known asPana Sankranti (Odia:ପଣା ସଂକ୍ରାନ୍ତି),[1][2][3] is the traditional new year day festival ofOdia people inOdisha, India.[4][5][6] The festival occurs in the solarOdia calendar (thelunisolarHindu calendar followed in Odisha) on the first day of the traditional solar month ofMeṣa, hence equivalent lunar monthBaisakha. This falls on the Purnimanta system of the IndianHindu calendar.[3] It therefore falls on 13/14 April every year on theGregorian calendar.[7]
The festival is celebrated with visits toShiva,Shakti orHanuman temples.[8] People take baths in rivers or major pilgrimage centers. Communities participate inmela (fairs), participate in traditional dance or acrobatic performances. Feasts and special drinks such as a chilled wood apple-milk-yoghurt-coconut drink calledpana is shared, a tradition that partly is the source of this festival's name.[8][3]
Pana Sankranti is related to new year festivals inSouth and Southeast Asian solar New Year as observed by Hindus and Buddhists elsewhere such asVaisakhi (north and central India, Nepal),Bohag Bihu (Assam),Pohela Boishakh (Bengal),Puthandu (Tamil Nadu) etc.[7][9]
In the Odia Hindu tradition, Pana Sankranti is believed to be the birthday of the Hindu deityHanuman, whose loving devotion toRama (the seventh incarnation ofVishnu) in theRamayana is legendary. His temples, along with those ofShiva andSurya (the Sun god) are revered on the new year.[8][10]
Hindus also visitDevi (goddess) temples on Pana Sankranti. The temples includeTaratarini Temple nearBrahmapur, Odisha inGanjam,Cuttack Chandi,Biraja Temple,Samaleswari temple andSarala Temple. At Sarala Temple the priests walk on hot coals in the fire-walking festival, Jhaamu Yatra. At the Maa Patana Mangala Temple in Chhatrapada,Bhadrak, the Patua Yatra festival is held from 14 April to 21 April.[11] In Northern Odisha, the festival is known as Chadak Parva. In Southern Odisha, the Meru Yatra festival is celebrated as the end of the month-longdanda nata dance festival. Thousands of devotees gather at theShakti Pitha shrine in theTaratarini Temple because it is one of the auspicious days during the Chaitra Yatra.
The significance of the day is that the newOdia calendar or Panjika is also introduced which is an almanac of Hindu festivals and contains the dates of festivals, auspicious days and timings, timings of sunrise and sunset along with horoscopes for the year.[12][10]
People from all over the state eat festiveChhatua and drinkBela Pana to mark the occasion.[13][14] The Bela Pana is prepared withBael,chhena, grated coconut and fruits, spices like ginger and black pepper and sugar or jaggery.[12][10]
An important ritual observed during Pana Sankranti isBasundhara theki. A water filled earthen pot with a small hole at the end is placed at the top of the holy basil plant, so that water keeps dripping on the plant.[12]
Ghantapatuas are traditional male folk artistes from theOdisha that perform the art form "Jhama nata" during Pana Sankranti. They generally perform in a group of two or four wearing dresses that resemble women's clothing.
Danda nata that is performed during this festival celebration is one of the most ancient forms of performance art of the region. The opening ritual begins in the middle of Chaitra (March – April). The performers, also known as Dandua, take dip in a village pond and walk/run over hot charcoals while performing the art. After performingdanda nata they also performjala danda by dipping themselves in deep water for a short while. These performances symbolize the liberation from physical pain. A notable climax of the social celebrations is fire-walk, where volunteers sprint over a bed of burning coal while being cheered with music and songs.[3]
This new year day is celebrated elsewhere across South and Southeast Asia which follow the related Hindu-Buddhist solar calendar traditions ofSouth and Southeast Asian solar New Year (Mesha Sankranti andSongkran). It is knownVaisakhi across North India and Nepal and marks the beginning of the Hindu Solar New Year.[15][16] The same day every year is also the new year for many Buddhist communities in parts of southeast Asia such as Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Cambodia, likely an influence of their shared culture in the 1st millennium CE.[16] Some examples include:
However, this is not the universal new year for all Hindus. For many others who follow the Lunar calendar, the new year falls onChaitra Navaratri,Ugadi,Gudi Padwa etc, which falls a few weeks earlier.[16] For some, such as those in and near Gujarat, the new year festivities coincide during the five dayDiwali festival.
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