Boita Bandana: Odisha celebrates its maritime legacy
Boita Bandana celebrates Odisha's maritime heritage with miniature boats, cultural events, and a tribute to the sea god Varuna.
Ending a bitter fight with neighbouring Odisha, West Bengal on Tuesday won the Geographical Indication (GI) tag for the iconic ‘rosogolla’, signifying that the spongy, syrupy sweet originated in its territory.
The announcement by the GI registry has drawn the final curtain over an intense two-and-a-half year battle between the two states over the origin of the popular ball-shaped sweet made from cottage cheese.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, now in London, called it a “sweet news”.
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“Sweet news for us all. We are very happy and proud that Bengal has been granted GI status for Rosogolla,” Banerjee tweeted.
The dispute began in 2015 when Odisha claimed that rosogolla originated in the state 600 years ago and was first served at the 12th-century Lord Jagannath temple in Puri.
The Odisha government set up three committees to look into the evidence regarding the origin of rosogolla in Odisha.
Countering Odisha’s claim, the Bengal government applied for GI tag for the sweet, asserting there was “ample” documentary evidence to prove the sweet belongs to Bengal.
Bengal has steadfastly maintained that rosogolla was invented by famous sweetmeat maker Navin Chandra Das in 1868.
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