Not just a period drama

Raja, the menstruation festival of Odisha, celebrates a taboo topic and reminds us of the role women played in the ancient world, writes Madhulika Dash

A festival that celebrates the concept of periods, Raja — or as many Odias call it Raja Parba — is an annual ritual in Odisha. Much like Baisakhi and Onam, Raja too is a harvest festival which has its genesis in the ancient tribal practice of Podu Chaso (cultivation through slash and burn) and it too is a reminder of the onset of monsoon and yet another season for tilling. But this is the juncture where Raja takes a detour.

Repair & rejuvenate

Raja, in fact, is amongst the few ancient festivals in India that pays tribute to the old world’s cherished idea of existence — a woman’s periods or Rajaswala, which many believe is the genesis of the word Raja. In fact, it forms the very premise of the celebration as well. Back in the day when tribes would find new land to till, they would cut and burn down the vegetation in order to clear the land. Since the act of slashing was considered painful, the land was left for a few days till the onset of the first shower to enable easy tilling. This time gap was equated to periods when the land, under the influence of the changing season, could repair
and recuperate.

To make the three-day period fruitful, tribes would avoid any activity like chopping, plucking of flowers, foraging or even cooking and spent the time merrymaking and pampering women — especially those in the fertility cycle. Over the years, it became a custom followed by farmers even when new ways of agriculture emerged. The reason for this, says culinary custodian Minati Parhi is, “that the ritual of allowing land that brief three-day period actually made it more pliable and productive.”

Fascinatingly, in the ancient world, Raja wasn’t the only festival that celebrated the idea of menstruation, it was a tantric ritual followed across many temples. Like the Kamakhya Temple in Assam, where a fertility mela called Ameti every June celebrates Devi Kamakhya’s annual menstruation cycle. In Chengannur Mahadeva Kshetram (Temple) in Alappuzha, Goddess Parvathi menstruates once in two or three months. There was a time when the 300AD temple celebrated it every month. The blood-soaked cloth is distributed among devotees as a sign of fertility. An indication that back in the age, periods were not a hush-hush topic like it is today. If anything menstruation was one of the most celebrated, studied and discussed subject.

Chakuli

For good health

Reams were written on how women should be treated during their menses to be able to bear healthy babies. Thinkers like Pliny and others wrote extensively on how a period flow could provide cues to not only the health of a woman but also her ability to bear healthy kids.

Egyptians had special resting houses for women during their periods. Back home, while epics like Mahabharata talk briefly about the Rajaswala rituals where women were relieved of all their duties during the time, ancient medical text like the Sushruta Samhita went deeper into understanding how the body, mind and soul reacted during the time and used food as a calming, recuperating tool.

Dalma

Food as a calming agent

According to the ancient text, women during the three-day period were high on Vata and thus could easily fall prey to negative energies. This caused them to have extreme mood swings a few days before the periods, a reactiveness that today is insensitively defined as PMS-ing or as nutritionist Sveta Bhassin calls it, “hormonal commotion” which leads to uncontrollable vent out.

This was a reaction that ancient medical experts understood and hence advised not only isolating the person to a place that could keep her happy but also to be fed with food that was not high on spice, acid, fat and salt. Things, adds Sveta, “that could aggravate the hormonal imbalance.”

In fact, ancient culinary practices like the Rasayana and Ayurveda worked in sync to create dishes that could provide comfort to the person while slowly reworking the fragile digestive system as well. One of the many reasons that a mild kada, rasam or kheer is often offered to women during their periods as it calms the brain and warms the body for easy muscle relaxation.

Kakara Pitha

One such great example is the food prepared for Raja. Culinary curator Alka Jena says, “a slew of interesting pithas that range from the simplest to the gourmet is enjoyed through the three-day festival. Buda Chakuli, which is a sweet pancake slathered with ghee, is had on the very first day followed by a rather bland chakuli pitha with milk, fruits like banana or mango or with dalma for some palate play.”

The second day, adds Minati , “is dedicated to the versions like the panas pitha (made with jackfruit) and podo pitha (which is baked pancake) and even monda pitha, which has a filling of jaggery, coconut and sometimes even white sesame seeds or pumpkin seeds.”

The third day is, say culinary experts, “high on gourmet versions with the addition of biri poda pitha (which uses urad dal), lau pitha, Biri gajja and even Khakra pitha, which is a crisp, fried version and extremely addictive. Fascinatingly, the concept of the pitha menu goes beyond the obvious want of having variety and the shelf life that decides which one to be had first since there is no cooking for three days; it is also in sync with what is easily digested.

The concept of keeping the lightest, sweetest food first, says Sveta, “is to allow the body minimal effort to digest given that the body is geared to tolerating the muscle contraction on the first day along with a regular supply of energy that comes from fruits and jaggery. So those dishes that are easy to digest and can also calm the mind are preferred. This is the reason that ingredients like rice, fruits, milk and calming spices like ginger, white pepper and cardamom are chosen. They not only add to the taste but also work to calm the mind.”

By the second day with the contraction gone and the mind calmer than before, food that can build the gut are preferred. Pitha, which is made of fermented rice batter, hence becomes a choice. The rebuilding process begins with mild spices, coconut and jaggery and fermented batter. Together, adds Sveta, “they form a probiotic super punch that works the gut while supplying the body with instant energy to stay calm and happy. By the third day, with the hormonal chaos put to rest, the body is ready to take food that needs proper digestion process and that’s when dishes like the biri poda pitha and panas chakuli are given.”

And that is the brilliance of the festival of Raja, an ancient ritual that celebrates period in every possible way.