ADHARA PANA OF RATH YATRA FESTIVAL
Adhara Pana is a divine sweet drink prepared with cottage cheese (chhena), banana, jaggery, cardamom powder, black pepper powder, nutmeg powder and milk. It is prepared in large quantities and offered to the trinity deities, Lord Jagannath, Lord Balaram and Maa Subhadra, on the Asada Masa Shukla Pakhshya Dwadashi Tithi on the Ratha after Madhyanna Dhupa Bhoga.
Adhara Pana is placed in large earthen glasses so that it can be touched to the lips (adhara) of the deities. It is also offered to all the devatas who are protecting the rath.
HOW TO MAKE SACRED ADHARA PANA DRINK (STEP BY STEP RECIPE)
- Take two desi bananas like Elaichi or Yelakki variety or you may take one robusta banana as it is larger in size. Mash the bananas nicely and then add 1/4th cup of Jaggery to it. Mash the jaggery with the bananas exerting little pressure with the fingers. The heat generated with the fingers will melt the jaggery. Jaggery will blend nicely with the bananas like shown in the image.
2. Prepare Chhena by splitting 500 ml of full fat cow milk with lemon juice. Strain the chhena or cottage cheese and wash it 2 to 3 times with water to remove the lemon juice from the chhena. If you need detail steps on how to prepare chhena or cottage cheese, click here.
Add the cottage cheese and chhena to the banana jaggery mix. Next, add the following spices one by one:
- 1 tsp of Black Cardamom Powder (Crush the seeds of the cardamom into coarse powder)
- 1 tsp of Black Pepper Powder
- 1 tsp of grated Ginger
- 1/4th tsp of Nutmeg Powder
3. Mix all the ingredients together very nicely which will take almost a minute or two.
4. Add 500 ml of cold milk to the chhena mix. The milk should be cold while mixing with the chhena but not unboiled. So, we need to boil the milk and cool it down before preparing this pana or sacred drink.
Mix the milk with the chhena mix. Add a pinch of edible camphor to the chhena pana drink and mix with it.
5. Pour the sweet cottage cheese drink in a clay glass, place a tulsi leaf and offer it to the Lord Jagannath. This drink is touched to the Lord’s lips hence it is called Adhara Pana. Adhara means lips in Odia language.
