PAKHALA DIWAS AND ODISHA PAKHALA :Know about Odisha Pakhala in detail

(The Quiver) : Every odia ultimate food craving ends with pakhala. It is not only a popular odia meal but also work like wonder for our health. Yes, today is pakhala dibas. Our country is proudly called the land of diversity for the proper reasons which can be marked from the diversed food cultures of the various states in the country.
Pakhala may sound new to some people , mostly to people residing in Northern part of the country. Mostly pakhala is familiar with the people of eastern India. In fact our readers will be delighted to know that each day like ‘World Pakhala Divas’ exists in Odisha. For people that don’t know what Pakhala is, well it is a traditional food recipe of odisha which is made up of slightly fermented water rice . The liquid part of the dish is ‘Torani’ and it is considered as one of the healthiest drinks, which is really helpful in the summer season as it keeps the body hydrated .
Pakhala is such a food which is consumed by every section of society in Odisha starting from poor to rich people.

Health benefits of Pakhala
Eating Pakhala helps to break down daily meals for compromised digestive systems, and also helps to strengthen the digestive system in general. They provide beneficial digestive enzymes, and also a good strain of beneficial bacteria in the gut.
Not only it boosts immunity in the body, but also the anti-inflammatory property present in the dish helps to relieve our pain and bring down our fever. According to a study conducted by AIIMS-Bhubaneswar, it was found
“torani” of pakhala boost immunity. AIIMS-Bhubaneswar study even claims that pakhala is an ideal immunity booster to fight against viruses including Covid-19 also.

Preparations of Pakhala
Pakhala can be simply prepared by adding water to rice and allowing it to ferment overnight.
If you want to make it more delicious , then add curd, cucumber, cumin seeds, fried onions and mint leaves to pakhala.
The mouth watering water rice is accompanied by an assorted vegetarian and non-vegetarian side platter. Sukhua (dry fish) , fish fry, vegetables fried or roasted , Badee chura , Aloo bharta , Saaga bhaja etc. are a few favoured side dishes.

The different types of pakhala are classified according to their preparation:

Saja Pakhala

Basi Pakhala

Jeera Pakhala

Dahi Pakhala

Ada Pakhala

Mitha Pakhala, and so on…

How is Pakhala related to Lord Jagannath?

Lord Jagannath is known as “chapan bhogi” Which means he is offered 56 types of prasad. The daily rituals (nitis)of Mahaprabhu is done in the same way like a common odia.
Like every Odia,Mahaprabhu is also known to be fond of pakhala . Pakhala is offered to Lord Jagannath at the time of Sandhya dhoop and also offered before he is made to sleep on Ratnapalanka(his bejewelled bed ) .

Interestingly the term Pakhala derived from the ancient Pali word pakhaliba as well as the Sanskrit word Prakshaḷaṇa which means “washed/to wash”. Pakhala which is not only represents the culture but the significance of traditional odia food. The exact origins of celebrating world pakhala Divas are not known. However eastern food dish was first introduced in the recipe of lord Jagannath of puri circa 10.

To promote the cuisine in modern era, pakhala dibas was declared on 20 march 2015 by popular initiative to be known and celebrated by people in worldwide. Thus 20 march is celebrated every year as pakhala diwas (pakhala day) by odias across the regions where people eat and promote cuisines.

We wish all our readers a very happy world pakhala divas 2022. Do share this important piece of India’s cultural significance and enlighten your friends about this popular north-eastern Indian festival.