๐ฆ๐ถ๐ด๐ป๐ถ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ ๐ฎ๐ธ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฎ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐๐น๐ฎโโโ๐ข๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฎ ๐๐๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ ๐ฎ๐ธ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฎ ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ป๐ธ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ป๐๐ถ
Offered as bhog in Jagannath Temple of Puri as part of Uttarayana Jatra (festival) and Uttarayana Bandapana (worship ritual), Makara Chaula is the signature sweet dish that marks the celebration of Makara Sankranti in Odisha.
Makara Sankranti is an Indian festival that marks sunโs entry into Makara raashi (Capricorn) and celebrates change of season and harvest. From this day onwards, sun starts its northward movement, signifying end of winter season.
Just like every other festivals of India, this joyous celebration also has its own share of traditional foods and preparations, specific to each region of India. Ghughute of Uttrakhand, Undhiyu of Gujrat, Nolen Gur Payesh of West Bengal, sweet Pongal of Tamil Nadu are some examples of such traditional cuisines.
In Odisha, we have Makara Chaula. Traditionally, it is a mixture of freshly harvested raw rice (soaked overnight and then coarsely grinded) with some jaggery, milk, chhena ( Indian cottage cheese), banana, and sugarcane. But you can also add fruits or other things according to your taste, just remember to use raw rice.
In fact, raw rice is what distinguishes this dish from all other Uttarayana foods and has a very interesting story behind its use.
๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ป๐ ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ป๐ธ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ป๐๐ถ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ต๐ถ๐น๐ถ ๐๐ต๐ผ๐ด๐ฎ
Dhanu Sankranti is the first day of Pousha (9th month of Odia lunisolar calendar) and falls exactly one month before Makara Sankranti. It marks start of Pousha month and end of Margasira month in Odia calendar. Margasira month is dedicated to Goddess Lakshmi, wife of Lord Jagannath in Odia culture. It is believed that Goddess Lakshmi visits households and blesses people with wealth and prosperity during this auspicious month. Hence, we make Jhoti Chita, traditional white art made from rice paste, on our doorways to welcome her and worships her every Thursday.
It is said that the Goddess visits her fatherโs house at end of Margasira on Dhanu Sakranti and stays there for one month. In her absence at Sri Mandir (temple), mother Yashoda prepares food for her son Lord Jagannath and offers them early in the morning. This is known as Pahili Bhoga, which means first offering of the day and is a delicious โkhechudi' (khichdi). This ritual continues till Makara Sankranti when Goddess Lakshmi returns from her fatherโs house.
๐ฅ๐ฒ๐๐๐ฟ๐ป ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ผ๐ฑ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ ๐ฎ๐ธ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฎ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐๐น๐ฎ ๐๐ต๐ผ๐ด๐ฎ
The story takes an interesting turn when the Goddess returns on Makara Sankranti and assumes that mother Yashoda is going to cook that day too.ย Simultaneously, mother Yashoda also assumes that Goddess Lakshmi is going to resume her preparation of temple food. As a result of this miscommunication, when time of Bhoga arrives, Lord is left without food. Hence, Goddess serves Makara Chaula, prepared with raw rice to Lord and his siblings in three silver plates as there was no time for cooking the rice. Every household in Odisha joins Lord Jagannath and shares a bowl of Makara Chaula with him on Makara Sankranti every year.
When I was a kid I used to make a fuss about Makara Chaula every year because of its raw nature. My mother used to tell me this story and it would always end with โ if God can eat it, you can tooโ. Makara Chaula isnโt just a traditional food for me but it is a lesson in humility, acceptance and above all knowledge that food is precious and so are the people preparing it. We should always respect food, never waste it and be grateful to God for providing it to us and to people who cooks for us.
A bowl of Makara Chaula, like the festival it is representing, signifies winter is ending and brings hope for warmer and brighter days.
PS - The story of Makara Chaula is based on local folklore that I have heard from my mother, grandmother, and other elders. I tried searching for its source but couldnโt find anything on the internet. Perhaps broader research into ancient Odia texts could provide some clues, but I donโt have the resources for that. Remember that such folklores often vary from region to region.
Happy Makara Sankranti 2025!
