'Koraput Kalajeera Rice,' an aromatic rice variety with nutritional value will be used in Mahaprasad at Srimandir in Puri.
A 12-member team left from Koraput Jagannath Temple, also known as Shabara Srikshetra with one quintal of Kalajeera Rice on Friday.
As per reports, Lingaraj temple and Ananta Basudev temples in Bhubaneswar will also receive the special rice from Koraput later.
“The journey from Shabara Shrikshetra to Puri Shrikshetra has begun today. The Kalajeera Rice will be offered as bhog to the Holy Trinity. This is an initiative to encourage the farming of black rice,” said Prabhakar Adhikari of Jaivik Sri Farmers Producer Company Limited, the farm that grows this particular rice in Koraput.
The Kalajeera Rice in Koraput got Geographical Indications (GI) status in September 2023, bringing cheers to tribal farmers who have been growing it for ages.
The Odisha government supported Jaivik Sri Farmers Producer Company Limited at Pujariput had applied on January 11, 2022, for the registry of Koraput Kalajeera Rice.
Koraput Kalajeera Rice known as the ‘Prince of Rice’ is an aromatic variety originating from Koraput district of Odisha. Upholding the nutritional and cooking quality, the rice looks like coriander seeds.
The ancestors of the present tribal communities of Koraput district have domesticated the rice in the region for thousands of years contributing to conservation of crop. It is popular among rice consumers for its black colour, good aroma, taste and texture.