Koraput: Ever heard of Dayana? These are aromatic plants, whose leaves are sewn together as a garland and offered to Lord Jagannath in Puri Srimandir. Grown only in the temple garden, the quantity fell short of requirement and the demand was met by a Tamil Nadu farmer and entrepreneur who grew the plants on his fields near Bangalore. However, to put an end to the dependence on another state, Koraput district has geared up to cultivate the plant not only to cater to the Srimandir needs but also fetch good money from its oil, which reportedly has immense medicinal benefits.
According to Madhaba Puja Panda, a temple servitor at Puri, the leaves sourced from the temple’s gardens are insufficient, requiring procurement from other regions, including Bengaluru. "The leaves are an integral part of the rituals here in the Puri temple. We cannot always depend on other states," he says.
This shortfall led to the decision to cultivate Dayana in Koraput, which also marked a turning point for the farmers of the district. Dr. Jagabandhu Samal, secretary of the Sri Jagannath Temple in Koraput, revealed that the seeds for the project were sown with assistance from Mohan Sundaram, the same cultivator from Salem who was supplying the leaves till date. The trust had been exploring options for large-scale cultivation and since the climate and soil were found conducive, Sundaram came down with Dayana seeds which were ceremonially offered before Lord Jagannath at the Koraput temple and then planted in the temple’s Panchabati garden.
In fact, Sundaram demonstrated to the farmers on how to till the land and take up the sowing process. He also shared the success story of the oil he made out of the leaves. "Dayana oil has a lot of medicinal properties. It is in heavy demand from other countries and sells at Rs 50,000 per litre," says Sundaram.