With Covid-19 taking a back seat, people across Odisha are celebrating Raja festival with will fervor.
In a bid to help the denizens of Bhubaneswar relish delicious ‘Odia pithas’ on the occasion of the famous festival, the Odisha Tourism Development Corporation (OTDC) has launched 'Pitha on Wheels' on Tuesday.
“Every year during Raja festival, OTDC makes special arrangements with all varieties of ‘pithas’ and swings. However, Raja was celebrated in a low key manner for last two years due to the surge in Covid-19 pandemic. This year, we have decided to celebrate Raja in all the Pantha Nivasas as the pandemic has subsided,” said Odisha Tourism Department Director Sachin Ramachandra Yadav.
Programmes like ‘Raja Mahostava’ and ‘Pitha on Wheels’ were inaugurated by OTDC officials at Pantha Nivas in Bhubaneswar on occasion of ‘Pahili Raja’.
“Different types of Odia pithas like poda pitha, manda, kakara, arisha, chhenapoda, Labangalata and khiragaja would be available in all the pantha nivasas across the State,” said Yadav.
“Earlier, Raja festival was only celebrated at pantha nivasas in Cuttack and Bhubaneswar. But this year, the celebration has been extended to all the 18 pantha nivasa across the State,” he added.
All types of Odia pithas will also be available in special counters near Saheed Nagar Durga Mandap ground, at State Museum and KIIT Square in the Capital city. Similarly, special beetle counters are also in place at different squares of Bhubaneswar.
Notably, the famous festival was only celebrated in a symbolical manner for the last two years keeping in view of the surge in Covid-19.