In the Odia Hindu tradition, Pana Sankranti is believed to be the birthday of the Hindu deity
Hanuman, whose loving devotion to
Rama (the seventh incarnation of
Vishnu) in the
Ramayana is legendary. His temples, along with those of
Shiva and
Surya (the Sun god) are revered on the new year. In Northern Odisha, the festival is known as Chadak Parva. In Southern Odisha, the Meru Yatra festival is celebrated as the end of the month-long dance festival. Thousands of devotees gather at the
Shakti Pitha shrine in the
Taratarini Temple because it is one of the auspicious days during the Chaitra Yatra. The significance of the day is that the new
Odia calendar or Panjika is also introduced which is an almanac of Hindu festivals and contains the dates of festivals, auspicious days and timings, timings of sunrise and sunset along with horoscopes for the year. The Bela Pana is prepared with
Bael,
chhena, grated coconut and fruits, spices like ginger and black pepper and sugar or jaggery.
Basundhara theki An important ritual observed during Pana Sankranti is
Basundhara theki. A water filled earthen pot with a small hole at the end is placed at the top of the holy basil plant, so that water keeps dripping on the plant. ==Local celebrations==