Celebrate Puri Rath Yatra With 6

Rice Pitha Varieties

, The Traditional Food Of Odisha

The Puri Ratha Yatra is one of the oldest religious festivals in Hinduism, held in Puri, Odisha, during Ashad (the fourth month of the Hindu lunar calendar). This year, it will begin on July 16 and last till July 24. The festival is marked by the stay and return of three deities: Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra and Goddess Subhadra. They travel to the Gundicha Temple, stay there for seven days, and then return to the Jagannath temple.

Now, what links the Puri Ratha Yatra to rice pitha? Well, it’s twofold. Firstly, rice pitha is a traditional Odiya dish. It’s a traditional rice cake made from a rice flour dough. The dough is often stuffed, shaped, or baked. It can be either sweet or savoury. Odisha, in fact, has many famous types of pitha for different festivals and seasons. For the Rath Yatra, in particular, the significance lies in Poda Pitha, a type considered the deity's favourite and consumed during the return journey.  

Often called the King of rice pithas, Poda Pitha is slow-baked until the outside develops a beautifully caramelised crust while the inside stays soft and slightly chewy. The charred, caramelised bottom is what makes it exceptionally popular. It is traditionally offered to Lord Jagannath and combines rice, black gram, coconut, jaggery, and spices into a rich, cake-like dessert.

Think of Arisha Pitha as Odisha's answer to a festive doughnut, except it's flatter, denser, and far more fragrant. Made with rice flour and jaggery, the dough is shaped into discs, sprinkled with sesame seeds, and deep-fried until golden. The result is crisp around the edges with a soft, mildly chewy centre. The dish is also associated with Lakshmi Puja in the region, while another legend says this was the dish two brothers from Odisha offered to Lord Buddha as a token of respect from their land. 

Cooked during various festivals in Odisha, Manda is neither baked like Poda nor fried like Manda. Rather, it’s steamed. Soft and delicately flavoured, this is similar to a sweet dumpling or the more well-known modak from Maharashtra. Rice flour dough is wrapped around a filling of freshly grated coconut and jaggery before being gently steamed. It has a tender bite and is often prepared during family celebrations.

Golden, crisp, and lightly sweet, Kakara Pitha is a fried delicacy made from dough stuffed with coconut and jaggery. The dough is pressed into small cups and stuffed, ensuring that once fried, the exterior becomes beautifully crisp while the filling remains moist and aromatic. While traditionally made from rice dough, many modern variations of kakara pitha use semolina flour. It's as much a popular tea-time snack as it is a festive dessert. 

Every rice pitha not only tastes different but also looks different. This one’s flat and circular, almost like a pancake. And unlike most other rice pithas, it’s savoury rather than sweet. The Chakuli Pitha is, thus, more popular as an everyday breakfast dish than as a festive item. It is made from a fermented batter of rice and black gram and served with lentil curries or potato fries for a wholesome breakfast. 

If Poda Pitha has the caramelised crust, Enduri Pitha has the distinctive aroma. It is perhaps the most aromatic of the lot here. It is steamed like the Mandi Pitha, but not in a steamer. Rather, it is steamed in turmeric leaves that perfume the pitha with a distinctive herbal fragrance. Made from a batter of rice and black gram, the pitha encases a coconut-jaggery filling. This is famous for being prepared on Prathamastami, a festival celebrated for the well-being of the eldest child in a family.

While Poda Pitha may be the rice pitha most closely associated with the Rath Yatra, the list above makes it clear that it’s just the start. From festive serves to savoury breakfast staples and tea-time snacks, the rice dough takes up multiple shapes as rice pithas. Trying these dishes is the perfect way to bring a lot more flavour, texture, and history into your kitchen.