The rasgulla, a sweet and syrupy delight, has been at the centre of a heated controversy between two Indian states: Odisha and West Bengal. The bone of contention? The coveted Geographical Indication (GI) tag, which certifies a product's origin and uniqueness. 

Odisha claims that the rasgulla originated in the 12th century in the Jagannath Temple in Puri, where it was offered to the goddess Lakshmi by God Jagganath after his seven day Rath Yatra. 

West Bengal, on the other hand, insists that the rasgulla was born in the 19th century in Kolkata, where it was created by a clever confectioner named Nobin Chandra Das. Some people claim that Nobin Chandra Das learnt the art of making cottage cheese (out of which Rasgulla is made) from the Portuguese in Bengal. It was in 1930 that his son, Krishna Chandra Das started selling rasgullas in tin cans and globalized the delicacy. 

The battle for the GI tag has been intense, with both states presenting their cases to the GI Registry. In 2017, West Bengal was granted the GI tag, but Odisha refused to concede, filing an appeal against the decision. Not just the governments of the states but you can also see common Odia and Bengali people arguing on the ownership of rasgulla very often. 

Traditionally rasgullas are made with cottage cheese balls dipped in sugar syrup. With time, rasgullas have evolved and are now available in many different colours and forms. A traditional form of hot served rasgulla is enjoyed in Orissa and is called ‘Pahala’ in odia language. Bengal has many variations notably the brown rasgulla made out of date jaggery syrup and the baked rasgulla.  

While the controversy rages on, one thing is clear: the rasgulla is a beloved sweet that brings joy to people across India. Perhaps it's time for both states to share the credit – after all, as the saying goes, "you can't have too much of a good thing!"