Bhubaneswar: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Odisha Governor S C Jamir, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and a host of dignitaries today greeted the people of Odisha on the occasion of Nuakhai, a festival welcoming the new crop.
"Nuakhai Juhar! Good wishes to Odia friends on the festival of Nuakhai. May this festival bring happiness and prosperity in everyone's lives," Modi said in a Twitter post.
While Governor S C Jamir greeted the people on the occasion in a message and wished them happiness and prosperity, the chief minister extended wishes to the people by tweeting in Sambalpuri.
BJP president Amit Shah and Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi too greeted the people of Odisha on the occasion.
"Greetings to our brothers and sisters of Odisha on the auspicious occasion of Nuakhai. May Maa Samaleswari bless us with peace & prosperity," Shah tweeted.
Union Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram and Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan too wished the people and prayed for peace and prosperity.
Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee President (OPCC) Prasad Harichandan was among those who greeted people on the occasion and prayed for peace, harmony and prosperity.
Globally acclaimed sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik erected a sand sculpture on Puri beach to wish people.
People across western Odisha celebrated the festival with religious fervor, devotion and enthusiasm today, a day after the Ganesha Chaturthi.
The festival began with offering Nabanna, the newly harvested paddy, to Goddesses Samaleswari Devi in Sambalpur.
Later, the people offered Nabanna to their presiding deities.
A large number of devotees thronged the Samaleswari temple to witness the traditional ceremony and seek the blessings of the Goddess, while cultural programmes were also organised in different areas on the festival, which symbolises harmony and brotherhood.