We Odias celebrate 13 festivals in 12 months. Starting from Pana Sankranti to Sitalasasthi, Odia calendar is filled with auspicious occasions that bring with it joy, fervour, and fun. Not only this but we Odias have to celebrate almost every 15 days. Apart from the major festivals, numerous Sankranti and Amavasya are also celebrated with the same joy in the state. And undoubtedly, these festivals bring with them an assortment of delicious foods to be savoured. While talking about these mini festivities with my grandfather, I came across ‘Saptapuri Amavasya’. He mentioned that a special delicacy is prepared in the Puri Jagannath temple on this day called ‘Saptapuri pitha’. As the name suggests, the pitha has seven layers of crepes filled with a coconut, jaggery and cardamom mixture. The dessert is then fried in ghee to perfection and is crispy and delicious as well.
Saptapuri Amavasya is celebrated in the month of Bhadrav to commemorate the birth of the seven pitras of Brahma who are the fathers of all gods. The day is celebrated with different rituals in different parts of Odisha. In Koraput, the festival is celebrated with a lot of pomp and show. The women prepare and offer seven kinds of pithas to goddess Sasthi. In Ganjam, Saptapuri pitha is made with seven different ingredients including atta. In Bolangir, the women prepare seven clay kitchen essentials are worshipped and seven kinds of pithas are prepared and offered to the deities.
Coming back to the Saptapuri pitha of Jagannath temple, the pitha is prepared and offered to Maa Alamchandi. The temple of Maa Alamchnadi, the goddess who protects the Ratnavedi is situated in Kumbharapara. The goddess is one of the Ashtashaktis that protect the Srikhetra. On the day of Saptapuri Amavasya, a tray of Saptapuri pitha is prepared in the Rosha Ghara (the holy kitchen) of Puri Jagannath Temple and is sent to the temple of Maa Alamchandi as bhoga.
So, the next time you visit Odisha in the month of Bhadrav, don’t forget to visit Puri temple and relish the delicious Saptapuri pitha.
