Raja Parba (Festival)- Mithuna Sankranti.
Raja Parba (Festival).
Raja Parba (Odia: ରଜ ପର୍ବ), also known as Mithuna Sankranti, is a unique three-day-long festival celebrated in Odisha that honors womanhood and marks the onset of the rainy season. The festival coincides with the beginning of the solar month of Mithuna and usually falls in mid-June.
The word Raja comes from the Sanskrit term rajas, meaning menstruation, and a menstruating woman is called rajasvala. The festival is based on the belief that during this period, Mother Earth (Bhumi Devi) undergoes her annual menstruation. Just as women rest during their cycle, agricultural activities like ploughing and digging the soil are suspended, giving the Earth a symbolic rest.
Historically, Raja Parba was also observed as an agricultural holiday dedicated to Bhumi Devi, the Earth Goddess and consort of Lord Jagannath ( Lord Vishnu). In the Jagannath Temple of Puri, a silver idol of Bhumi is placed beside Lord Jagannath.
The festival spans three main days followed by a concluding ritual:
Pahili Raja – the first day.
Mithuna Sankranti – the second and most important day, marking the beginning of the solar month Mithuna.
Bhu Daaha or Basi Raja – the third day
Basumati Snana – the fourth day, when women bathe a traditional grinding stone (symbol of Bhumi) with turmeric paste, flowers, and sindoor, followed by offerings of seasonal fruits to Mother Earth.
भूमि प्रणाम-क्षमा याचन स्तोत्रम्।
(After waking up in the morning, chant this stotram.)
नमस्ते धरित्री देवि, सौन्दर्य-स्नेह-मण्डिते।
विष्णुपत्नि नमस्तुभ्यं, पादस्पर्शं क्षमस्व मे॥
स्नेहमये जगन्माते, सर्वभूतनिवासिनि।
नमस्ते मातरि भूमे, पादस्पर्शं क्षमस्व मे॥
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Raja Parba is also a time of joy, community gatherings, swinging on decorated swings, playing traditional games, and enjoying festive foods like poda pitha (rice cake). The celebration beautifully intertwines reverence for womanhood, fertility, agriculture, and nature’s cycles.
Raja festival is a sacred celebration dedicated to Mother Nature, the Earth, and all her manifestations. It reminds us to revere the nurturing power of the soil, the rhythm of seasons, and the eternal bond of creation. In this spirit, not only Sanatanis but all people of the world, regardless of religion or culture, should observe and honor this festival as a tribute to Mother Nature, to our Earth, and to all mothers and sisters who embody her life-giving grace.
