The Indian food history is the history of invention in times of necessity and inheritance from diverse cultures. Some dishes were invented for the sake of masses, while some others were borrowed from across geographies. Many such interesting stories of Indian food are still unheard of. Travel Beats, a community portal for Indian Diaspora, takes a few picks from the grave of history to share with you.

Petha is as old as the Taj Mahal 

What to eat in Agra? Whoever has been to the city of the Taj Mahal says that Petha is the best thing to eat in Agra. The invention of Agra ka Petha is linked to the construction of the Taj Mahal in the Mughal Empire. When the colossal monument was under construction, some 21,000 workers were bored of the daily meal comprising only dal and roti. The then Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan shared his concern with master architect Ustad Isa Effendi, who requested Pir Naqshbandi Sahib for a solution to the Emperor’s worries. It is believed that the Pir went into a trance during prayers one day and received the recipe of Petha from the Almighty. Then, some 500 cooks made Petha for the workers.

CHECK Best Dishes of Agra

Dal Bati was a means of survival during wars 

What is the best food to eat in Rajasthan? It is Dal Bati Churma in Jaipur, Mewar, Jodhpur, Bikaner, Jaisalmer and Udaipur. How the recipe of Dal Bati Churma was invented is a story worth sharing. The origin of this Rajasthani food is the famous Chittorgarh Fort in Mewar. Bati is dough of wheat dipped in ghee, a long-lasting food which the Rajput kings of Mewar required for survival in adverse conditions during wars. Bati could be made with the few ingredients and the little water available in the barren lands of Rajasthan. This culinary invention evolved into a delight with two other items – Dal and Churma – over the years.

SHARE Inforgraphic of Chittorgarh Fort

Mysore Pak journeyed from palace to public  

What is the best taste of Mysore? It is the Mysore Pak, a signature sweetmeat of South India. The Mysore Pak history is traced to the kitchen of the Mysore Palace in the early 20^th century when Nalawadi Krishnaraja Wodeyar was the king in power. Kakasura Madappa, the then royal cook in the Mysore Palace, used to please the King with different dishes. One day he made new sweet dish with the mix of chickpea flour, ghee and sugar. When the King tasted it, it melted at the tip of his tongue. On being asked the name of the dish, the cook invented the name ‘Mysore Paka’ in a split of second. ‘Paka’ is a Kannada word meaning a sweet concoction. Mysore is a weekend getaway from Bengaluru City.

KNOW Best Food of Mysore

Khaja is inherited from the Mauryan & Gupta empires 

What is the best sweet of Odisha? Undoubtedly, it is Khaja. Though the culinary art of making Khaja is a matter of pride for the people of Orissa, the recipe is believed to have been borrowed from the Gangetic plains of Bihar around 2000 years ago. The history of Khaja dates back to the Maurya and Gupta empires in ancient India. Today, Bihar, Odisha, Jharkhand and Andhra Pradesh are homes to this Indian dessert. Each of these states offers a different taste of Khaja. The Khaja of Rajgir in Bihar is famous for its puffiness, while the Khaja of Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh is known for its dry outside and juicy inside.

Do You Know 10 Varieties of Dosa

Jalebi is not essentially Indian but Asian in identity 

Jalebi, one of the most popular Indian sweet dishes, owes its origin to West Asia. The Persian-speaking invaders introduced Jalebi to India in the medieval era. This sweetmeat was called ‘Kundalika’, and ‘Jalavallika’ in India in the 15^th century. The poor were offered platefuls of Jalebi during Ramadan in Iran. It is called ‘Zalabia’ in the Arabian countries, ‘Zilebi’ in the Maldives, ‘Zlebia’ in Tunisia, Libya and Algeria, and ‘Jeri’ in Nepal. References to the Indian version of Jalebi are found in “Priyamkarnrpakatha” by Jinasura, a Jain author of the mid-15^th century.

HAVE Best Sweets of Bengal

Dum Biryani was a meal for the poor in Awadh  

The origin of Biryani is the princely state of Hyderabad in the era of Nizams, according to several historic sources. The recipe of Biryani is as old as the Mughal history of India, according to some historians. Some debate that Biryani was introduced during Timur’s invasion of India in the early medieval era. Though the origin of Biryani is debated, Dum Biryani or Biryani of Awadh was originated in Lucknow. The Nawab of Awadh ordered to cook a meal in huge handis (round-shaped brass pots) for all the poor people of his region when there was scarcity of food. A huge amount of food was cooked with minimum resources in covered and sealed pots. This art of cooking became known as ‘dum’.

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Folk art, culture and tradition are the attractions of rural tourism in India. Many foreign scholars and travelers take to off-the-beaten paths of villages in quest of the folk art forms of India every year. Indian Eagle connects them with Indian culture and heritage to promote rural tourism as its social responsibility. Like the previous article,”The Art and Craft of Raghurajpur in the State of Orissa”, our take on the Madhubani Painting of Bihar is an effort towards achieving the goal.

Connection with legends ?

Madhubani Painting is a famous rural art of Madhubani, a village in the Mithila region of Bihar State, India. The origin of this art form is traced to the time of the Ramayana when Lord Ram was the King of Ayodhya in North India. If the legends are to be believed, a group of artists was commissioned to decorate the wedding venue with beautiful paintings on the occasion of the marriage of Ram and Sita by Janak, the King of Mithila.

From tradition to profession

Madhubani Painting has been an age-old tradition that women in the countryside perpetuated as a practice to decorate their huts from outside as well as inside on social and religious occasions. It has evolved from a folk culture tradition into a popular form of Indian art with the wheeling of time. In the bygone times, signs and symbols of sexual pleasure used to be painted on the walls of the rooms where newlywed couples spent the first night of marriage. With menfolk in the villages of Bihar having taken up Madhubani Painting as a profession, women have lost the monopoly over it.

Themes with religious bearings ?

The theme of Madhubani Painting is mostly influenced by the religious motifs and beliefs of Indians. Both practitioners and professionals of this traditional Indian art form are driven by love for nature and devotion for the Hindu deities. They depict the popular legends of Rama, Krishna, Durga, Kali, Shiva, Lakshmi, Saraswati and Indra, the abstract scenes from the courts of kings, and the familiar objects of day-to-day life through a palette of colors on cloth as well as canvas.

Close to the world of nature?

Lively illustration of natural objects such as the sun, the moon, flowers, birds and herbal plants like tulsi is popular with the artists of Madhubani Painting. The artists of the past years used organic colors derived or made from natural things like cow dung, charcoal soot, turmeric, flowers, plants, leaves, rice powder, sandalwood and indigo. The paintings on the walls and floors were close to simplicity and far from sophistication. Though the beauty of themes, the delicacy of sketching, and the flamboyance of colors are the mainstay of Madhubani painting even today.

Poetic and trantric connection

According to some art curators, Madhubani Painting was associated with the tantric culture of ancient India though it is still debated. The Mithila region of Bihar has been a seat of tantric practices for the Saiva and Sakti communities. References to the tantric connection of Madhubani Painting are found in the literary work of the poet Vidyapati who belonged to the 12th century.

Role of rural womenfolk ?

When the female members of Brahmin and Kayastha families were instructed to abide by the rules of the Panji System in 1326, differences appeared in the theme and style of Madhubani Painting based on their socio-economic status, lifestyles, creative levels and exposure to the outer world. The women from the upper reaches of society hardly experimented with themes, styles and motifs due to lack of exposure into the world beyond their confined existence. So their thought and imagination was limited to religious motifs and household rituals. Their Madhubani paintings became stylistic and intricate though variety was missing.

Socio-economic differences?

The paintings made by the women of lower castes like the Harijan exuded raw originality. Their paintings were less intricate and sophisticated than the works of the women of higher castes. They put emphasis on depth and beauty rather than ornamentation. Evidently, the socio-economic differences were apparent in the Madhubani Painting of? the previous eras. Gobar, Godana, Bharmi, Geru, Kachni and Tantric are some of the popular styles of this traditional art form.

International contributions?

With art-loving tourists from around the world having taken interest in the rural tourism and heritage of India, Madhubani Painting has gone beyond the confines of Mithila to touch international heights. India owes the worldwide popularity of Madhubani Painting to Japan, Germany, France and America in particular. The Mithila Museum in Tokamachi, Japan, exhibits some 900 paintings of different styles from Madhubani. ?The Women Painters of Mithila?, a book on Madhubani Painting by a French journalist was adapted into a film. The Master Craftsmen Association of Mithila, founded by an American in 1977, helps the artists of Madhubani with the sale of their creations through exhibitions.

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National Geographic’s latest The Story of God with Morgan Freeman documentary series features Morgan Freeman, an eminent Hollywood actor, in quest of how the perception of God has changed over centuries. Morgan Freeman who played God in two feature films, Bruce Almighty and Evan Almighty, by Tom Shadyac takes a spiritual journey through seven countries including Turkey, Egypt, India and Mexico in The Story of God, a six-part series beginning Sunday.

It is National Geographic’s The Story of God documentary that brought him to India for a maiden visit to Gaya and Varanasi last year. He found the diversity in the life and culture of those two most popular destinations for pilgrimage so riveting that he would love to return to Incredible India to make a movie.

I would primarily like to go to India and make a movie. I’d like to be there for a while. Some time ago I had a great idea, a great movie idea. It wasn’t mine; it was someone else’s. It wasn’t well thought out, but it was a great idea and I would really like to do something like that in India. – Morgan Freeman

Both Varanasi and Bodh Gaya are part of National Geographic’s The Story of God with Morgan Freeman documentary. Bodh Gaya is the place where Prince Siddhartha was blessed with divine enlightenment and became Lord Buddha from a wandering monk in the Indian state of Bihar. Varanasi is “older than history, older than tradition, older even than legend, and looks twice as old as all of them put together,” in the words of Mark Twain. Varanasi is where the spiritual being of India lies.

India is a melting pot of myriad religions, beliefs, faiths, rituals, customs and traditions. Morgan Freeman found fascinating differences from place to place during his filmic pilgrimage to Bodh Gaya and Varanasi. Travel to India once in lifetime for an unforgettable experience. – IndianEagle

The Story of God with Morgan Freeman documentary series traces the evolution of religion and explores philosophies of the life, death and life after death cycle through the ruins of civilizations at iconic places in seven countries. Actor Morgan Freeman visited the Waiting Wall in Jerusalem, the Mayan Temples in Guatemala, the pyramids in Egypt, the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, the Bodhi Temple in Gaya, the Ghats of Varanasi and likes for shooting of the documentary by National Geographic.

Morgan Freeman in The Story of God is seen in meaningful conversations with priests, monks, swamis, lamas, rabbis and even scientists on the meaning of life, happenings after death, etc. Each of the episodes in the six-part series of the documentary shows a big picture of life, existence, death, life after death, humanity, spirituality, divinity, etc. He will be seen crawling inside an Egyptian pyramid in Sunday’s premiere on April 10. He will accompany the garland-draped corpses to cremation sites on the banks of the River Ganga in Varanasi in the next episodes.

National Geographic’s The Story of God with Morgan Freeman episodes seek to promote an understanding that religions such as Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, the Mayan faith and others unite us for good and great purposes, not divide us, by showing similarities among different faiths.

Check Varanasi Travel Infographic

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Food travel across India is a sinful indulgence in winters. Winter is no exception to the seasonal varieties of Indian food. Indian winter delicacies including sweets and snacks are sure to leave your taste buds restless if you don’t try them out. We at Indian Eagle leafed through the pages of Indian city food guides and handpicked the best delicacies that you must have in India this winter.

Gajar Ka Halwa with Dried Fruits 

Rajasthan is known for not only the best winter holiday tourist destinations but also the best winter delicacies. Gajar Ka Halwa is the most popular sweetmeat that most of the cities in the state of Rajasthan including Jaipur, Udaipur, Bikaner, Mewar, Jaisalmer and Jodhpur offer during winter. Gajar Ka Halwa is a must on the menu of wedding feats in Rajasthan.

Udaipur Food Travel Guide

Nolen Gurer Sandesh & Rosogolla  

Image Credit: flickr.com/photos/micromitra

Traveling to Kolkata in winter? Brush your sweet tooth for platefuls of Nolen Gurer Sandesh and Rosogolla. Kolkata treats the guests to Rosogolla and Sandesh throughout the year. But, the Bengali sweets of nolen gurer flavour (date palm jiggery) are winter specials in Kolkata. Hope, you can’t afford to miss it.

Kolkata Street Food Guide

Stuffed Parathas with Curd  

Be it morning or evening, Delhi is fond of smoking hot Parathas in winter. Delhi specializes in serving Parathas stuffed with filling of different ingredients including spinach, cauliflower, carrot, peas, mashed potato, fenugreek leaves and reddish. Parathas with some pickle, butter and a bowl of curd give the best taste of Delhi that is unique to the North Indian food culture in winter.

Delhi Street Food Guide

Makki Ki Roti & Sarson Ka Saag 

Punjab will treat you to its warm hospitality over a meal of Sarson Ka Saag and Makki Ki Roti during winter. Though this meal is cooked in the Punjabi kitchens round the year, it keeps the body warm and helps to brave the cold in Punjab during winters. The meal of Sarson Ka Saag and Makki Ki Roti is served with butter, jaggery and onion slices.

Mumbai Street Food Guide

Hot Gulab Jamun with Ice-cream 

Whether you are on diet or a diabetic patient, you cannot resist the temptation of hot Gulab Jamun on wintry nights. Gulab Jamun is a favourite of Indians all over the country. Many people top Gulab Jamuns with vanilla-flavored ice-cream in winter.

Agra Food Travel Guide

Masala Khichdi with Pickle

Masala Khichdi (spicy porridge) is one of the best winter delicacies in India. It is yummy in taste and light on stomach. In winters, this traditional Indian meal is cooked with seasonal vegetables like carrots, beans, peas and cauliflower. A spoonful of ghee is the best add-on to enhance the taste.

Indore Food Travel Guide

Litti with Potato Mash or Brinjal Bharta   

Winter travel to Bihar, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh is an incomplete experience without bites of Litti Chokha. Unique to the traditional food culture of these Indian states, Littis are stuffed balls and served hot with spicy potato mash or brinjal bharta. This snacky delicacy is sure to be found on the Indian street food guide.

Mysore Food Travel Guide

Samosa & Pakora with Chai

In North India, the evenings of winter are warm with platefuls of Samosa and Pakora. Stuffed with the filling of seasonal ingredients, these popular snacks are best served with cups of smoking hot tea. Samaso and Pakora with Chai are part of get-togethers and soirees in North India during winters.

Best Indian Monsoon Delicacies

Mirchi Bajji & Ragda Pattice 

The spicy affair of Hyderabad begins with a plateful of Mirchi Bajji in winters. It is one of the best winter snacks and street foods in South Indian cities including Hyderabad, Chennai, Bengaluru and Mysore. It is served hot with white coconut chutney. Hyderabadis are fond of Ragda Pattice too, in the winter season.

Indian Eagle books the cheapest flights to India from USA for Indian Americans, food travelers, and American tourists, no matter whatever is the season!

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Recently, the New York Times was in trouble for having published a cartoon, which depicted an Indian farmer / villager with a cow knocking on the door of an Elite Space Club, in response to India’s successful Mars Mission. The severe flak from Indians on ground that the cartoon depicted India as a backward land of farmers and mired modern India’s current image made the New York Times apologize for hurting the sentiments of Indians. If the cartoon is taken in an altogether different sense other than what irked Indians, it conveys the progress of India’s rural economy, which encourages the farmer to enter the Elite Space Club. In support of this assumption, we collected some stories of India’s rural development from a few villages which rub shoulders with metros in confidence, education, modernity, economy and technology.

Pothanikkad, a village of the literate in Kerala  

Pothanikkad in Kerala is the only Indian village to have achieved 100% literacy rate. The village boasts of its literate population in contrast to the rest of India. There are high schools, primary schools and private schools in Pothanikkad. It is a quintessential example of achievement in education.   

Chappar in Haryana where birth of girls is celebrated  

Chappar is the only village to celebrate the birth of girls in Haryana, a North Indian state, which is infamous for crimes against women. When a girl is born, sweets are distributed in the entire village. The unexpected improvement in the status of women and the shift in the attitude towards them are all because of Chappar’s Sarpanch (local head) who is a woman with liberal outlook. 

Punsari, a village of technology in Gujarat 

Punsari, a village in Gujarat, competes with metro cities and towns in technology. The public places in Punsari are under CCTV coverage. The village has access to Wi-Fi, which is still not available in many tier II and tier III cities of India. With AC classrooms, the village is much ahead of its time.

Hiware Bazar, a village of millionaires in Maharashtra

Hiware Bazar is a village of millionaires in Maharashtra. The credit for Hiware Bazar’s surprising transformation from a village of poverty to a village of riches goes to Popatrao Pawar. He called for banning of addictive substances including tobacco and alcohol in the village, which helped the villagers to curtail expenses and invest in various projects. Today, Hiware Bazar has 60 millionaires. There are only three families living below the poverty line.

Mawlynnong, the cleanest village in India  

Mawlynnong is the cleanest village not only in India but in Asia. Discover India Magazine awarded Mawlynnong the prestigious title “Cleanest Village in Asia” in 2003. A small village in Meghalaya, one of the seven northeast Indian states, Mawlynnong does not tolerate littering of rubbish.

Bekkinakeri, a village without open defecation in Karnataka

Bekkinakeri in Karnataka has put an end to open defecation, which is still a regular practice in the rural backwaters of India. When the modest attempts failed to curb open defecation in the village, the council of Bekkinakeri came up with an idea to greet “good morning” to the perpetrators at the defecation sites. Thus, the mission was possible in Bekkinakeri.

Shani Shingnapur, a village without doors in Maharashtra  

Shani Shingnapur in Maharashtra has come to be known as the safest village in India. There is no single house with doors in the village. What is more surprising is no police station in Shani Shingnapur since theft or robbery is unheard of here. UCO Bank has its only lockless branch in this village.

Dharhara, a village with natural assets for girls in Bihar  

Dharhara in Bihar has set an example of how to respect both women and nature. This village in the Bhagalpur District of Bihar has mandated the families to plant 10 fruit trees whenever a baby girl is born in any house. Thus the villagers have found a carefree way to build an asset, which will help them finance their daughters’ education and marriage. The girls are supposed to inherit the trees later on.

Dharnai, an energy-independent village in Bihar       

Dharnai is India’s first energy-independent village. Yes, this village in Bihar has developed its solar-powered electricity supply system, with the support of Greenpeace. The 30-year long age of darkness came to an end. In Dharnai, students no longer depend on the sun for studies, and women can go out on errands after sunset.

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READ MORE  Rabindranath Tagore’s Inspirational Quotes about Life

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