Pakhala Bhat

Varieties Served In The Chhapan Bhog Feast In The Puri Jagannath Mandir

Quick Summary

Pakhala is central to summer in Odisha, as the body loses water and essential salts from the heat, and this rice dish offers both hydration and electrolytes. It’s no surprise that it is part of the Jagannath bhog during Rath Yatra. While the country might know only one type of fermented pakhala, panta bhaat or kanji, there are more variations of this simple dish. Some are integral to the Chappan Bhog, a feast of 56 dishes, offered to the deities.

Deep Dive

Pakhala bhat has been offered to Lord Jagannath at the Puri Jagannath Mandir since at least the 12th century, if you look at the temple inscriptions. The priests who assume their role through heredity carry on this tradition of offering the several distinct pakhala varieties as part of the temple's Chhapan Bhog. These are spread across the day, as a part of specific daily rituals rather than being served all at once or serving just one single kind of pakhala. 

Unlike the pakhala eaten in Odia households, the temple's version is prepared without chillies and is offered in earthen bowls called ‘Oli’, which are small earthen pots used to soak, ferment, and serve the rice. Each variety of the pakhala is significant to a specific ritual meal of the day. This piece details each of those varieties, the ritual meal they belong to, and how the tradition connects to Rath Yatra.

What is Chhapan Bhog and Where Does Pakhala Fit

Before the pakhala story, if you might not be aware, Lord Jagannath is the manifestation of Lord Krishna, who is the eighth avatar of God Vishnu. This is how Chhapan Bhog ties itself to Lord Jagannath. Krishna protected his disciples from the wrath of God Indra and his incessant rains by lifting the entire Goverdhan Hill on his little finger, missing his eight meals a day for an entire week. Once the rains ceased, the villagers honoured his sacrifice by making up for those 56 missed meals. 

So today, during Rath Yatra, as part of the Jagannath bhog, 56 food items are offered daily to Jagannath, Balabhadra (Krishna’s older brother, known as Balaram) and Subhadra (Balaram and Krishna’s younger sister) at the temple, prepared in the Rosaghara (the traditional kitchen of the Jagannath temple) using only earthen pots and firewood. The offerings are split across: 

• Gopal Ballav Bhog

• Sakala Dhupa

• Bhoga Mandapa Bhoga

• Madhyana Dhupa

• Sandhya Dhupa

• Bada Singhara Bhoga

Pakhala ordinarily is eaten from lunch onwards, and that carries forward in the Chappan Bhog too, and it starts being offered from midday, then evening, and late-night meals, rather than appearing just once a day. A separate midday offering called Bhoga Mandapa Bhoga, also known as Chatra Bhog, consists specifically of pakhala with curd and kanji payas, a ritual attributed to Adi Shankaracharya, introduced in the 8th century to let pilgrims share in the temple's food.

An Overview of the Meal Timings

Pakhala Varieties Offered During Madhyana Dhupa (Midday Meal)

• Pani pakhala: Plain cooked rice mixed simply with water and salt, offered as one of the two main pakhala varieties during Madhyana Dhupa.

• Dahi pakhala: Rice mixed with curd, cumin (jeera), ginger, and salt, considered one of the most significant pakhala offerings in the temple and offered multiple times through the day, including during Madhyana Dhupa and later rituals.

• Tabha pakhala: An occasional addition to Madhyana Dhupa, made with rice, finely chopped ginger, a squeeze of lemon, and a ghee-cumin tempering, where ‘tabha’ refers to the lemon used in the preparation.

Pakhala Offered During Sandhya Dhupa (Evening Meal)

• Chupuda pakhala (also chipuda): Prepared by draining the water off cooked rice, then mixing it with cumin, salt, and curd. It is offered in substantial quantity, with temple ritual records noting as many as 19 earthen pots (oli) of this variety prepared for a single Sandhya Dhupa.

• Subasa pakhala: Rice cooked in an earthen pot combined with water, salt, ginger, and fried cumin, valued specifically for its fragrance (‘subasa’ translates to fragrant), and included among the Sandhya Dhupa offerings.

• Pani pakhala: It also reappears in the evening offering, with records noting 23 oli of this variety prepared alongside Chupuda Pakhala during Sandhya Dhupa.

Pakhala Offered During Bada Singhara Bhoga (Final Night Meal)

Bada Singhara Bhoga is the last food offering of the day to the deities, made up of several watered-rice preparations alongside dal, dalma, fried banana chips, and rice kanji.

• Ghia pakhala: Rice combined with ghee, salt, ginger, curd, and cumin for a richer, more rounded flavour than the plainer daytime varieties.

• Subhashita pakhala (also called mitha pakhala): A pakhala variant that is on the sweet side, specific to this final offering of the day.

• Malliphula pakhala: A variant of dahi pakhala finished with Malli (jasmine) flowers to sweeten its aroma, offered as part of the same evening and night rotations as the typical dahi pakhala.

Pakhala Varieties by Ritual Meal

Pakhala Ritual Significance At The Temple

Devotees consider offering pakhala to Lord Jagannath, a practice that removes ailments and brings blessings, and the accompanying drink, tanka torani, which is a fermented, probiotic-rich liquid served alongside the temple's pakhala, is believed to have its own restorative properties, aiding digestion and easing chronic respiratory discomfort. Pakhala is served with fried green banana during the evening ritual and during the Badasinghara Besha rituals specifically. This makes the dish specific to the temple's nightly rituals rather than functioning as a simple dish.

Pakhala Bhat and Rath Yatra

Pakhala Bhata continues to be part of the Chhapan Bhog offered to the deities through the Rath Yatra period, including while Jagannath, Balabhadra, and Subhadra reside at the Gundicha Temple, alongside staples like Odiya dalma. Since Rath Yatra falls in the Ashadha month, at the peak of Odisha's hot season, pakhala's place in the ritual offering continues uninterrupted through the festival rather than being replaced by richer dishes for the occasion.