Happy New Year to all my Odiya/Bengali/Assamese/Tamil/Punjabi friends!!

Panna Sankranti or Mahavisubha Sankranti marks the first day of the Odiya calendar year. And hence it is celebrated with much festivity is all parts of the state. People make a sweet drink called 'Panna' and offer it to the Tulsi plant. It is then distributed among family and friends. Special pujas are conducted in the temples and the new 'panji' comes into use. It is calculated as the first day of the Solar year.

This day is also celebrated by as 'Poila Baisakh' in Bengal, 'Bohag Bihu' in Assam, 'Cheiraoba' in Manipur, 'Baisakhi' in Punjab and Haryana and 'Puthandu' in Tamil Nadu.

The 'Panna' which is a special drink made with fruit, sugar/jaggery, yogurt/milk, chenna and water, is the highlight of this festival in Odisha. Its' consistency is comparable to that of a smoothie.Two types of Panna are made on this day- the 'Bela Panna' and the 'Chattua Panna', the former being vastly more popular.

Check the recipes here : Bela Panna (Here) and Chattua Panna (Here).

Have a happy and prosperous year ahead!!

Bela Panaa

Preparation Time: 10-15 mins

Ingredients -

• 1 Ripened Bela/Wood apple/Elephant apple
• 1 cup curd
• 1 cup chenna/curdled milk or 3 rosogullas
• 1 ripe banana
• 3tbs sugar
• ice-cubes
• 1/4 tsp black pepper powder

Preparation: Break the shell of the wood apple on a hard surface and scoop out the
yellow flesh.

Put the yellow flesh in a mixing bowl and add 2 cups of cold water. Mix the flesh with the water using your fingers to extract the juice.

Strain the juice using a sieve. Transfer the remaining pulp back to the mixing bowl and add 1 cup cold water and extract any remaining juice.

Strain the juice and throw away the pulp.

Add sugar, banana, chenna/rosogulla, curd and black pepper. Mix well using your fingers.

Pour into glasses & top up with ice-cubes. Serve chilled.


Note: Bela ( also called Bel) pannaa is very popular in Orissa during the summer months.

It is offered to Lord Shiva on Panaa Sankranti day which falls on 14th of April. It is supposed to be an excellent coolant and is good for the bowels.

The leaves of this plant are also offered to Lord Shiva along with milk. Consuming a fistful of these leaves is supposed to reduce blood pressure & diabetes.