From dil diwana to dilkhush — this Raja, people in Odisha are celebrating the festival with new flavours of the quintessential paan.

Paan has special significance during the three-day Raja festival, which celebrates the spirit of womanhood. The festival remains incomplete without chewing a paan (betel leaf). People often gift paan to each other during the Raja festival, which began on Friday.

Considering the soaring demand for betel leaves during this time of the year, numerous paan shops have sprung up in the streets of Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Puri and other parts of the state.

These shops cater to the diverse taste palates of people who participate in the festivities, including those who do not usually chew paan. Odisha Tourism and Development Corporation also capitalises on this opportunity by selling paan.

Paan, a staple of the Raja festival, comes in a myriad of flavours. From the sweet mitha paan to the fiery fire paan with white caramel, the rich black forest paan and the unique laddoo paan, there is a flavour for every palate.

Brothers Ananta Nayak and Sonal Nayak have opened a paan shop at CRPF Square in Bhubaneswar. They offer a range of paans, including mitha and dilkhush.

Ananta said: “We are offering paan at ₹20 per piece. We have opened two shops. There is a high demand for paan. But during Raja, many people have opened paan shops, so the profit margin has decreased.”

Ananta’s younger brother Sonal said: “We are trying to maintain the quality of the paan. We use original spices like saffron, gabha jelly, khajuri maka, chickan supari, blackberry jelly, orange jelly, special zing and many more.”

Varieties of paan are available during Raja, such as dil diwana, paan shots, paan lassi, paan shake, rasmalai paan and rabdi paan, each having distinct tastes.

The senior servitor of Puri Shree Jagannath Temple, Jagannath Das Mohapatra, explained the cultural significance of chewing paan. “Paan is intrinsically attached to Odia culture and is associated with the Jagannath culture as well. Every day, a paan is offered to Lord Jagannath. There is nothing wrong with chewing paan. It also helps in digestion,” he said.

While paan is significant in Odia culture, its modern iterations have raised health concerns. Traditional masala has been replaced with newer varieties, leading to potential health risks.