Odia Calendar Baisakha (APRIL-MAY) 2025

Baisakh marks the transition from one year to another in the Hindu calendar. This culturally rich period holds deep religious and agricultural significance, especially in Odisha, India. Pana Sankranti, Maha Vishuba Sankranti, or Mesha Sankranti: this auspicious occasion heralds the Odia New Year with the introduction of the new Odia calendar, called Panji or Panjika. This day also marks the commemoration of Hanuman Jayanti, which is celebrated as the birthday of Lord Hanuman

The centerpiece of the festival is a distinctive ritual involving the drinking of Pana, a sweet beverage. As per tradition, this special drink is served in a clay pot suspended from a Basil (Tulsi) tree, letting the blessed water drip onto the plant below. Family members then partake of the sacred drink, making special offerings of horse gram flour, banana, and curd to the Basil plant. A part of this day is also marked by prayers and offerings to the deities for an auspicious start for the New Year.

The third day of Baisakha, Akshaya Tritiya, is one of the propitious days in the Hindu calendar, which encourages to start new business enterprises, assuring success and prosperity, also is the time when the lord Jagannath’s Chandana Yatra (summer festival) starts, as does the construction of chariots for the famous Rath Yatra. During this time the sacred journey of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra, and Goddess Subhadra is prepared.

Baisakh thus carries special significance for the farming community of Odisha in as much as Baisakh is the starting point for the farming season. The month itself becomes a proper measure for various traditional farming rituals and ceremonies where farmers seek divine blessings for prosperous and good harvests through various cultural practices and observances.