BHOPAL: Nuakhai, the biggest festival of the western part of Odisha, was celebrated with fervour and gaiety in Bhopal on Sunday.
Over 50 artists, including children, performed on the occasion. A band from Sonepur, Odisha, specially came over to perform folk dances. Nearly 500 people from the Odia Diaspora in Bhopal attended the event at Piplani community hall and relished authentic traditional delicacies.
Sanjeev Kumar Nanda, a resident of Katara Hills, said Nuakhai, a harvest festival, is celebrated on day after Ganesh Chaturthi, but people in different parts of the country choose a day close to Ganesh Chaturthi to celebrate in their cities. For instance, Nuakhai celebrations were organized on the same day in Bhopal, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, and Vadodara on September 18.
The freshly harvested rice is brought from Odisha and offered to Devi Samaleswari - the guardian deity of Sambalpur - after creating her idol. Only then is the rice used by families.
The attire for the festival is brought from Sambalpur. Stalls selling Sambalpuri handloom are placed in the city from where local residents buy it to take part in the celebrations. In Bhopal, an annual magazine 'Kanhar' is released on Nuakhai in Hindi, English and Sambalpuri. After the celebrations, the idol of Goddess Samaleswari was immersed in Ghoda Pachad dam.
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