Odisha celebrates Rakhi Purnima

Bhubaneswar: Raksha Bandhan or Rakhi Purnima that signifies the bond between brothers and sisters was celebrated with great fervour and gaiety across the State today.

In Odisha, the land of Shree Jagannath, the festival begins with Devi Subhadra tying rakhi to her brothers Lord Jagannath and Lord Balabhadra. The festival, also known as Gamha Purnima, is celebrated with great religious fervour inside the temple.

Members of the Patara Bisoi community have made four special rakhis for the occasion, two each to be tied on the hands of the divine siblings. The rakhis are dyed in four different colours. While two rakhis made for Lord Jagannath have been painted red and yellow, the two made for Lord Balabhadra have been dyed blue and violet.

Devi Subhadra will tie the rakhis to the divine duo after the afternoon ‘dhoopa’. The temple administration has provided all essential items to the Patara Bisoi community for the festival.

Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik was also seen participating in the Rakhi fervour. First, school children, Ministes and MLAs all joined to tie rakhis to the CM.

The festival is being celebrated by brothers and sisters in the traditional way in every house of State. Sisters prepared the ‘puja thali’ containing colourful and decorated rakhis, tilak, rice grains, diyas and sweets. They performed 'aarti', put tilak on the forehead of their brothers and tied rakhi threads on the wrists of their brothers. The ritual ended with the brothers and sisters exchanging sweets.

In return, brothers blessed and presented gifts to their sisters.

Rakhi Purnima is also being celebrated in schools across the state with girls tying rakhis on the wrists of boys as a token of their sisterly love.

In rural areas, especially in coastal Odisha, cows too are worshipped on this occasion.