Odisha gets a GI tag for its own rasgulla, two years after West Bengal won the ‘sweet battle’

• The east Indian state of Odisha has got the Geographical Indication tag for rasgulla.
• Odisha’s Chief Minister took to Twitter to announce the decision by the government.
• Previously, West Bengal had got a GI tag for its own version of the sweet.

It’s a proud moment for Odisha and the state’s famous sweet rasgulla receive a Geographical Indication tag. The Chief Minister of the state Naveen Patnaik took to Twitter to announce the development.


The eastern states of Odisha and West Bengal got into a bitter battle for the sweet – with both states claiming be the place of its origin. Two years ago, it seemed that West Bengal won the battle by getting a GI tag for the sweet. However, Odisha too received a GI tag for its own version of the rasgulla, the milk-based sweet.

According to the certificate from the Geographical Indication Registry of the Government of India, the Odisha Small Industries Corporation Limited (OSIC) and Utkala Mistanna Byabasayee Samiti (Utkala Sweetmakers Business Body) will be the proprietors for Odisha’s rasgulla.

The Odisha government also dedicated a day to the sweet on July 25, 2017 called Rasagola Dibas (Rasgulla Day) and later celebrating it on July 16. The government had then fought for a GI tag claiming that the sweet was offered in the Jagannath temple of Puri, one of the country’s most famous temples.