Watch: International Sand Artist Creates Sand Replica Of An Odia Meal; Twitter Reacts

Besides its magnificent beachscape and heritage sites like Sun Temple and Jagannath Temple, Odisha has a rich and versatile cuisine with a deep-rooted history of its own. It has developed over time with local culture, agriculture and unique food practices. Hence, if you explore, you will find some eccentric dishes with some unique flavours, which you have never tried before. One such signature dish of Odisha is pakhala bhata. It is basically cooked rice, slightly fermented with water. Best enjoyed during the summers, pakhala bhata cools down the stomach and helps us beat the extreme heat. Quintessentially, pakhala bhata is prepared by mixing fermented rice with curd, cucumber, green chillies and served with brinjal fry, potato fry and fish fry by the side. To promote this classic Odia dish worldwide, 20th March is declared Universal Pakhala Day (Pakhala Dibasa) by the state.

This year, to mark the day, International Sand artists Sudarshan Pattanaik created a special artwork on the Puri beach that featured a traditional Pakhala thali. It featured a big thali with multiple small bowls having pakhala, onion, green chillies, fish fry, different types of vegetable fries and more. He also made a banana leaf with sand and wrote on it ‘#PakhalaDibasa’. The accuracy and sharp detailing of the artwork attracted several visitors to the beach. Mr. Pattanaik took to his Twitter handle to share the video and wrote alongside, “Greetings on #PakhalaDibasa. My sand art at Puri beach to celebrate Odisha’s most favourite wholesome meal.” Let’s take a look:

Also Read: Pakhala Bhata – A Simple Rice And Curd Recipe From Odisha Will Keep You Fresh In Summer

#ପଖାଳଦିବସ ର ଅନେକ ଅନେକ ଶୁଭେଚ୍ଛା । Greetings on #PakhalaDibasa. My sandart at Puri beach to celebrate Odisha’s most favourite wholesome meal. pic.twitter.com/7rduf3agNY— Sudarsan Pattnaik (@sudarsansand) March 20, 2021

The meticulous art-work impressed people on Twitter and in just two days, it garnered more than 3.5k views and several appreciations. “Too good sir, what a pakhala meal #PakhalaDibasa,” wrote one. Another person commented, “Salute to your sand art…really amazing!!”

Here’re some comments on Sudarshan Pattanaik’s Twitter Post:

What an idea Sir ji #IncredibleIndia ????????????— Shadow (@Captain41230930) March 20, 2021

Incredible sand art— Manoj Kumar Mohanta (@ManojKu1974) March 21, 2021

Awesome…..????????— Vanita H Benekar (@BenekarH) March 22, 2021