A Parijata sapling, planted by Patnaik in 2009, today produced a conch shaped white coloured flower to the delight of the chief minister, official sources said.
Of the four Parijata plants in the garden, the sapling planted by Patnaik was the one which bloomed.
Three others were planted by then chief secretary Ajit Kumar Tripathy and two other senior officers, sources said.
On his way to the Chief Minister's chamber on the third floor of the secretariat building, Patnaik stopped to have a glimpse of the flower.
"This is wonderful. Its fragrance is unmatchable", Patnaik said while sniffing the fragrance of the parijata flower.
The chief minister also thanked the gardeners who tended the sapling. "It is a rare flower. Parijata is considered as a flower that blooms in heaven's garden. Now this is possible in the secretariat", a delighted Patnaik said.
Several ministers, secretaries and government employees flocked to the garden to have a glimpse of the Parijata.
Finance secretary Jugal Mohapatra was among the senior officers to have a look at the rare flower.
