Bhubaneswar, Aug. 7 -- The auspicious timing for celebrating Nuakhai, the biggest agrarian festival of western Odisha, has been announced for Bolangir district. The Patna Maharaja's Sailashree Palace declared that the festival will be observed on September 15, with the 'Amruta Bela' fixed between 9.36 am and 10.10 am.

During the auspicious period, devotees will offer the season's first harvest, or 'Nabanna', to their presiding deity before consuming the newly harvested rice with their families. The ritual marks the beginning of the Nuakhai celebrations and is considered the most significant part of the festival.

Nuakhai is one of the most important festivals in western Odisha and is celebrated to welcome the new harvest. The festival sy...