Are you excited to know the history of Rasgulla or Rosogolla ? I am sure you will be. But we get you some controversies as well related to your favorite Roshogollah!
As soon as you hear the name “Rasgulla” it creates a mouth-watering sensation in our mouths due to its soft, succulent and syrupy sweetness. Rasgulla has become one of the most delicious sweets of India right from the by lanes of Kolkata and the temples of Puri to the power corridors of Rashtrapati Bhawan. Rasgualla has been a true game changer’ in the way sweets are perceived and eaten in India. , It is also known as rosogolla, roshogollah, or rasbari (depending on which Indian state it is being referred to).
But its taste is not the only intriguing thing about this amazing sweet dish. What adds to its charm is the age-old debate between Bengal and Orissa over the history of Rasgulla.This soft, pearly ball of cottage cheese dipped in thick sugar syrup has a pretty controversial history as to whom was the first person who started it. This makes this sweet even more special.
Although Bengal and Orissa have many things in common such as their cultures and the language they speak, but when it comes to the origin of Rasgulla, the war between the two states never comes to an end.
The Bengalis stake their claim on it while the Oriyas believe it’s their invention. On the other hand, the world cannot seem to have enough of the sweet. And if you look at this history then you will come to know that these two states take this dilemma very seriously.
It is a matter of pride and honor for Bengal because it is known for this delicacy. But, Orissa isn’t out of the race either. So the tag of war continues
So let us see the history of Rasgulla to find out the truth behind this mystery.
The Story behind The Origin of Rasgulla In Orissa
Whenever asked about the story regarding the inception of rasgulla’s, Odiyas dig deep into Orissa’s treasured history and claim that the invention of rasgulla took place some 700 years ago when the city of Puri came into being. And guess what it has got mythological backing as well.
According to Odiyan people, Lord Jagannath offered the sweet known as Kheer Mohana to Goddess Lakshmi to pacify her into letting him enter her home after the 9-days long Rath Yatra comes to an end. She was angry because he was not taking her along with him for the Rath Yatra
From then onwards it has been said that Kheer Mohana has been offered as Prasad to Goddess Lakshmi on the last day of the Rath Yatra.
Now the question arises as to how do this sweet managed to spread across all of Orissa?
Well, there is another story going on which says that one of the priests of the temples started teaching people the art of making chenna by curdling the milk as he was very sad by seeing people wasting excess milk.
This technique of utilizing milk proved to be a boon for a village known as Pahala, situated in the outskirts of Bhubaneswar since they always had excess milk. Soon Pahala became the center of Odiyan rasgullas or Pahala rasgullas and as they say, the rest is history
Bengal’s Version of the History of Rasgulla
Bengal could not accept the story narrated by Orissa regarding the inception of Rasgulla. So they came up with their own story claiming that rasgulla, which is fondly known as rosho-golla there, is not 700 years old but it is 150 years old only. They managed to bring another twist to the tale. Well, Bengals claims that famous sweet-maker Nobin Chandra Das made the rosho-gollas for the first time in the year 1868.
Nobin Chandra Das’s relatives narrated the entire story as to how Nobin had opened a sweet shop back in 1864 in Jorashanko, but soon ran out of business because he was just selling what everyone else was selling and that was dry, sweet Sandesh.
He wanted to sell something unique that would be solely his creation and no one else would sell. Thus began his trial and error attempts of making chenna balls and boiling them in sugar syrup but mostly he was unsuccessful. However, after a prolonged effort, Das was able to master the art of making rosho-gollas which then became famous throughout the state.
There is hardly any surprise that there is this fierce battle between the two states over its ownership!
From the government’s point of view, the debate seems to be somewhat resolved since it has given GI tag for Banglaar rosho-golla to Bengal recently which means that Bengal has got all the rights now to claim rasgulla as its own. It all due to the hard work and committed fight shown by the West Bengal government against its rival Orissa.
But no matter what, the tug of war between a Bengali and an Odiya over the history of rasgulla will never come to an end
