SERIFED dispatches 350 kg of sacred silk thread “Basunga Paat” for Lords of Sri Jagannath Temple

Bhubaneswar, June 5 (UNI) Basunga Paat, a sacred and powerful silk thread used for Lords during the Puri Car Festival and other rituals, was sent to the Sri Jagannath Temple administration by Odisha Samavaya Tasar and Resham Mahasangh (SERIFED).

Odisha Handlooms, Textiles and Handicrafts Minister Pradeep Bala Samanta on Thursday flagged off the consignment of 350 kg of Basunga Paat, which is generally used to make victory ropes, paitas, and rakhis for the presiding deities in Sri Jagannath temple.

Before dispatching it to the temple administration, the Minister and departmental officers offered flowers and worshipped the Basunga Pat with devotion.

Since 1981, SERIFED has been supplying this Basunga Paat to the temple administration.

Basunga Paat is made from mulberry silk cocoons and is primarily produced by tribal silk farmers from the Mohana and R. Udaygiri blocks of Gajapati district.

It is dyed with the pulp of Kaith fruits collected from Koraput district. These skeins are collected by SERIFED and processed at the Silk Production & Technical Upgradation Centre at Nuapatna in Cuttack district.

Basunga Paat is prepared exclusively for the religious work of the temple and is not used for any commercial purpose.