#uttarayan

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 sun’s 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.

𝗗𝗵𝗮𝗻𝘂 𝗦𝗮𝗻𝗸𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗶 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗣𝗮𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗶 𝗕𝗵𝗼𝗴𝗮

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 father’s 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 ‘khechudi' (khichdi). This ritual continues till Makara Sankranti when Goddess Lakshmi returns from her father’s house.

𝗥𝗲𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗚𝗼𝗱𝗱𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗮𝗿𝗮 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝘂𝗹𝗮 𝗕𝗵𝗼𝗴𝗮

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. 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 “ if God can eat it, you can too”. Makara Chaula isn’t 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 couldn’t find anything on the internet. Perhaps broader research into ancient Odia texts could provide some clues, but I don’t have the resources for that. Remember that such folklores often vary from region to region.

Every year Makar Sankranti falls on the 14th or 15th of January, and there’s a good reason for that too. The term “Sankranti” refers to the movement of the Sun from one Zodiac to another, so there are a grand total of 12 Sankrantis. What makes Makar Sankranti special? During Makar Sankranti, the Sun moves from Sagittarius or Dhanu Rashi to Capricorn or Makar Rashi, in numerous ways this signifies a new beginning. The Sun which moves into the Northern Hemisphere leads to longer days and the end of the Indian Winter. It falls during the harvest season, with freshly cut crops offered to gods and subsequently eaten. The period signifies “fertility” and bursting into action after the slow and delirious winter season. It ushers in the “auspicious” part of the year which lasts until Karkata Sankranti which falls somewhere in July. It is also the only festival celebrated going by the solar calendar. The contrast between the cozy western holiday season and the vibrant onset of Hindu fertility is an abrupt transition but goes perfectly with the hopeful nature of the new year. 

All over India, Makar Sankranti is celebrated in different ways with each one doing their own thing. 14th/15th January signifies not one or two but many festivals.

In Tamil Nadu, the festival is known as Pongal, which translates to “to boil, overflow” and freshly cut rice is cooked with milk and jaggery. The Tamil version can be traced back to the Chola empire, so roughly around the 9th to 13th century. Spread over three days (and a lesser-known fourth day), each day has its own significance. The first day is known as Bhogi Pongal or Indran and focuses on cleaning the house, as each member dusts and scrubs until every surface is squeaky clean. The second day is called Thai Pongal or Surya Pongal and is the most important day, the Pongal is made and first offered to the gods, then the cattle, and only after that are the family members allowed to have it. The third day is spent grooming and worshipping the cattle.

Uttayaran in Gujarat can only be defined by one word, “vibrant”. Strewn across skies are kites that made for a tapestry. There is an industry revolving around this particular time of the year, as kite sales skyrocket (pun intended) and officials from different countries come to participate in kite competitions. The reason behind flying kites is that being out in the Sun after the winter helps kill germs and be more exposed to Vitamin D. Dishes like Undhiyo that are nearing the end of their season are relished for the last time.

If we go farther North, we come across Lohri, the Punjabi variant of Makar Sankranti. The folklore attached to Lohri is of a man known as Dulla Bhat, who lived during the reign of Emperor Akbar. He used to steal from the rich and distribute it among the poor. In his honor, people sing “Sundar Mundriye” during Lohri. This story is different than the religious and godly myths surrounding the other festivals, and it’s fascinating how a festival honors a man who worked for the needy. Punjab is a largely agrarian state, so the festivities are rooted in harvesting crops. People get together around huge bonfires and eat everything from Chikki to Saro ka Saag. 

There are tons of other festivals on this day, in Assam it's called Magh Bihu with games like tekeli-bhonga (pot-breaking) and buffalo fighting taking place. In Bihar, locals have chuda-dahi (beaten rice and yogurt) and a portion of gur (jaggery), and in Bengal, it’s called Poush Sankranti and have sweets like pithe, patishapta, etc. with rice and palm jaggery.

- Priyanshu

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Original Work Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Original Male Character/Original Male Character Characters: Sundar, Nitin Additional Tags: Uttarayan, Indian festival, First Kiss Series: Part 1 of Indian BL WIPs Summary:

Over the days of preparation for the Indian Festival of Uttarayan, two college aged boys fall in love.