JHAPA: For the first time in Mechinagar, the Rajbanshi community celebrated the ‘Bhakka Pitha’ Festival on Sunday.
The festival, organized by the Rajbanshi Social Development Committee Mechinagar in Itabhatta, Mechinagar-7, featured Bhakka made from 500 kilograms of rice flour.
Dinesh Rajbanshi, municipal chairman of the committee, said the festival aims to promote ‘Bhakka’, a traditional local food, and showcase its cultural significance. Gopalchand Budhathoki, chief guest of the program, added that the festival, highlighting language, art, customs, and culture, will also contribute to tourism promotion. He noted that the Rajbanshi community has a significant presence in the city, which is home to more than 25 castes.
Around 30 women from the Rajbanshi community, dressed in traditional costumes and jewelry, participated in making ‘Bhakka’. They represented all 15 wards of the city. Eating ‘Bhakka’ is an old custom among the indigenous Rajbanshi communities of Jhapa and Morang in the eastern Tarai. Made from rice flour, ‘Bhakka’ is nutritious and tasty, and its popularity is growing in the region.
Since December, Rajbanshi and other communities have been making ‘Bhakka’ for sale in both urban and rural areas, including Kakarbhitta, Itabhatta, Birtamod, Bhadrapur, Damak, and other parts of the district.
Prallad Oli, Ward Chairman of Mechinagar-7, said that Bhakka is healthy, as it is steamed without any adulteration. He added that the Rajbanshi community has been celebrating Poush 29 as ‘Bhakka’ Day for the past nine years.
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