Panihati Chida Dahi Utsava 2022: Date, Time, Legends, Celebrations, History And Significance

Situated 10 miles away from the north of Kolkata, on the lap of the Ganges, Panihati is a small and inconspicuous village, which had been a trade hub. A popular rice variety called Peneti was imported from Jessore in East Bengal, and probably the name Panihati may have originated from this. Scroll down to find detailed information on Panihati Chida Dahi Utsava date, time, legends, celebrations, history and significance.

Panihati Chida Dahi Utsava 2022: Date and Time

Chida Dahi Festival, otherwise known as Danda Mahotsava (the celebration of Punishment) is observed on the thirteenth day of Poornima in the Jyeshta month, which is either in May or June. This year, in 2022, it is going to be celebrated on 12th June. The chipped rice festival commences just before the rainy season when it is hot and humid.

Panihati Chida Dahi Utsava 2022: Story of Srila Raghunatha Dasa

Srila Raghunatha Dasa Gosvami was a Krishna devotee from the innermost recesses of his heart. Born with an inbuilt sense of bhakti towards God, he evinced an interest, in his early years, to renounce the world and join the order of Swami Nityanand Prabhu. His intentions met with success two years later, when he visited Nityananda Prabhu in his Ashram. Young Raghunatha travelled all the way to Panihati, to see Nityanand Prabhu, and spotted him under a banyan tree on the banks of the Ganges river.

At Panihati, he saw Nityananda Prabhu sitting on a rock under a banyan tree on the banks of the river Ganges, surrounded by his disciples. Raghunatha Dasa offered his prayers to him from a distance. But. Nityananda Prabhu somehow noticed this and called out to Raghunatha. Addressing him as Raghunatha Dasa he rebuked him for approaching him stealthily. He decided that Raghunath deserved to be punished. Catching him forcibly he placed his feet on Raghunaths head, called it a Chida Dahi day and asked him to celebrate it. Needless to say, Chida Dahi was served to all his devotees.

Raghunatha Dasa immediately purchased several other ingredients to prepare a wholesome Chida Dahi. Chida Dahi is a lip-smacking combination of curd and poha mixed with varieties of fruits and dry fruits. With this preparation, the festival ended for the day. The Chida-Dahi Mahotsava is celebrated to commemorate this beautiful occasion.

Panihati Chida Dahi Utsava 2022: Celebrations

The Chida Dahi feast menu boasts of choicest items that never fail to appetize a connoisseur's taste buds. Ganges curd upma, a simple yet light cracked urad dal, followed by banana chapatis drenched in butter and Cauliflower and red pepper subzi are offered to the devotees. After, savouring and sipping the tasty food, they get ready to do the poojas and chant in unison. . A dry curry of Peas and Paneer, Rava idly, Baigan Sarson, and Okra raita, are some of those mouthwatering dishes on the menu for the festival day. Chida Dahi is served in two separate pots, garnished with tasty ingredients.

Srila Raghunatha, at the far end of his life, abstained from eating sweets of all kinds and subsisted only on buttermilk served in leaf cups.

Hearing about the festival, all kinds of learned scholars, Brahmanas and priests went there, Lord Nityananda Prabhu honoured them and made them sit on the raised platform with Him.

Panihati Chida Dahi Utsava 2022: History

It was none other than Lord Krishna himself who incarnated in the form of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu at Sridhama Mayapura, in Bengal. The chief purpose of life in Kaliyuga, as per scriptures is to continuously chant the lord's name (Jaap). Srila Raghunatha Dasa Gosvami was believed to be one of the eternal associates of Krishna during krishnavatar.

Once upon a time, this place was the centre for Buddhist Tantric traditions and the Kapalikas. Things changed when Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu stepped in to propagate the Sankirtan movement and free Panihat from the clutches of the mantriks. Then the Gaudiya Vaishnavas settled in Panihat to continue the bhakti lineage of Sri Chaitanya. The Chida-Dahi Mahotsav, also known as the chipped rice festival of Panihati, is a grand event, celebrated to remember the first meeting of Srila Raghunath Dasa Goswami and Lord Nitya Nanda Prabhu.

Panihati Chida Dahi Utsava 2022: Significance

Raghunath had tried to approach Chaitanya Mahaprabhu to get initiated into the Krishna cult by him. He was not immediately accepted by the lord. He had to take blessings from Nityanand Prabhu before requesting Chaitanya Mahaprabhu to be his master again. This shows that you can't reach God directly through penance and renounced attitude towards the world. You need a channel through which you should gradually reach him. Here the channel is referred to as the Guru, who takes the disciple safely to the feet of God. An intense feeling of surrender is required to approach the Guru and the lord. Surrendering self to the Guru is an essential prerequisite for approaching the Lord.

Raghunath, although of a wealthy lineage, had mentally renounced worldly pleasures and lived a simple life at the ashram. He would eat the leftovers of the prasad eaten by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu for his food. His daily meal consisted of rice mixed with salt. This shows that the devotee who is immersed in the love of God does not differentiate between prosperity and poverty. That is the power of will over body and mind.

Image sources: Wikimedia Commons

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