Pana Sankranti, also known as Chhatua Sankranti, is a popular festival celebrated in
Orissa. The festival marks the beginning of rainy season and of the cultivation cycle. On this particular day a small pot filled with 'pana' or sweet drink is hung on a basil (
Tulsi) plant. There is a hole at the bottom of this pot; the water which falls from the pot represents rain. The flour of horse gram (chhatua) is consumed by the people of Orissa, after offering it to the Tulsi plant.
