What is unique to Onam, the biggest festival of Kerala? It is Onam Sadya, a festive meal of significance. It is the soul of Onam celebration at home and abroad and wherever the Malayali community is. As the festival marks the beginning of a new year for Keralites, celebrates the new harvest of the year and commemorates the visit of their most worshipped King Mahabali, Onam Sadya is evidently not just a festive meal.

Onam Sadya and the Legend of King Mahabali

Onam Sadya owes its significance to the myth of Kerala’s legendary King Mahabali, who is also referred to as Maveli and Onathappan in religious as well as non-religious literature. Mahabali was the chief of the Asura (demon) community in his time. Kerala was a beautiful, peaceful and prosperous kingdom when he was in power. Neither crime nor corruption was in his regime. There was no social hierarchy on the basis of economy or caste. Equal treatment of the rich and the poor was one of the building blocks in the societal system. King Mahabali used to be lavished with respect for his wisdom, generosity, judiciousness, impartiality and farsightedness. His rule is believed to be the golden era of Kerala.

Being grandson of Prahlad, Mahabali was an ardent devotee of Lord Vishnu, the preserver of the Universe in the Hindu scriptures. His fame and popularity was a concern with Gods who took it as a threat to their supremacy and sovereignty. Gods sought Lord Vishnu’s intervention to subdue King Mahabali’s growing popularity and curb his reign. Being charitable, King Mahabali used to grant boons to Brahmins after his morning prayers every day. Lord Vishnu disguised himself as a poor, dwarf Brahmin, which is known as his ‘Vamana’ incarnation, and descended to earth.

READ ALSO The Taste of Kerala

Under the guise of a poor Brahmin, Lord Vishnu asked the King for a piece of land as much as his three steps would cover. Despite warnings by his adviser, the King promised to give what the Brahmin wanted. The dwarf Vamana took three cosmic steps. He covered earth and the sky in the first and second steps respectively. In the third step, he put his foot on the head of the King, pushing the King to the nether land (patala). Then the dwarf Brahmin revealed his true identity and expressed his pleasure to see the King’s unconditional displeasure.

Out of his attachment with the kingdom and selfless love for the people, King Mahabali made a request to let him visit Kerala once in a year. Lord Vishnu accepted the request and granted him a boon that he would be worshipped as well as loved his people for ages. At the time of his departure from Kerala, the King blessed the people to remain happy, prosperous and well-fed for generations. His visit to Kerala is celebrated as Onam Festival every year. Onam Sadya is part of the elaborate preparations that the people of Kerala make in honor of their King and convince him that they are happy.

Onam Sadya and Traditions

Evidently, Onam Sadya is a symbol of the Malayali people’s happy living. Both the rich and the poor are so serious about the significance of Onam Sadya that they prepare this festive meal for grand feasting. A single course of Onam Sadya has 24-28 dishes. The preparation can be so elaborate that even 64 dishes are cooked for a meal.

Eleven dishes are essential prepared for Onam Sadya. Rice, coconut gratings, coconut milk and coconut oil are the basic ingredients in most of the dishes. The meal is traditionally served on banana leaves and consumed in one sitting. Both rural and urban Keralites eat the festive meal with hands. Spoons and forks are not used at the time of feasting in most households.

Onam Sadya Items

The Onam Sadya items are served one by one in an order. Even the age-old tradition of serving a particular dish on a particular part of the banana leaf is strictly obeyed. The feasting begins with the ritual of offering the Onam Sadya items to Lord Ganesha first. The festive meal begins with rasam (soup) and ends with payasam (dessert). The main dish is boiled rice served with uppari, sambar, aviyal, parippu, pullisseri, olan and pickles.

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Indian Eagle promises to make air travel to India cheaper than ever. We rejoice in your happy trips by booking cheap fights to Kerala from USA. Happy Onam!

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In India, harvest festivals are celebrated to please the god and goddess of agriculture, seek divine blessings for agricultural prosperity, and pray for household opulence. The festival is called different names in different states of India – Pongal in Tamil Nadu, Nabanna in Bengal, Bihu in Assam, Lohri & Baisakhi in Punjab and Onam in Kerala. The harvest festival is a religious cum cultural cum culinary celebration in the agrarian society of India.

Onam festival of Kerala is scheduled to be celebrated from August 20 till August 31 this year. The ‘Malay’ people of Kerala are busy preparing for the celebration. Fly to Kerala and you will surely feel the aura of this upcoming festival in the air all over. The state, as popularly known as God’s Own Country, showcases its cultural best on 10 days of the festivity. Some NRIs born and brought up in the US and Canada are not familiar with the ways of Onam festival celebration in Kerala.

Some legends – historical and mythological – are associated with the origin of Onam harvest festival. So, the festivity is a celebration of the Malay community’s faith in the legends, and their unique cultural identity too. Indian Eagle shares some interesting details and visuals of Onam Festival in Kerala.

Pookalam

Pookalam or flower mat is a gripping visual of Onam Festival celebration in the households across the state. It is a beautiful collage made with flowers of different colors in courtyards or on the floor of large rooms. Pookalam is the very first emblem of festivity to greet your eyes once you step into a household. It is no less than an artwork for its flowery beauty. Fresh flowers are arranged to make Pookalam in the morning, on each day of the celebration. Pookalam is a subject of competition among households in some parts of the state. As per the legends of Kerala, the flower mat is believed to welcome King Mahabali on the festive days of Onam.

Also Read – Indian American Girl is Named Kerala after a Trip to Kerala

Onam Sadya

Onam Sadya, the culinary flavor of Kerala, is the blend of the state’s culinary culture and festive celebrations. This festival menu of Onam is a delectable spread of rice and various vegetable delicacies, cooked in the same traditional way as in the regular kitchens of Kerala. Guests are served Onam Sadya on plantain or banana leaves. The festival menu includes 11 – 13 dishes, of which Payasam (a sweet dish) marks the end of the feast. The locals relish Pasyasam with special fondness.

Also Read – Legends and Cultural Facets of Onam Sadya 

Thiruvathira Kali

With Thiruvathira Kali, a kind of folk dance in Kerala, Onam festival is a cultural celebration too. Women, clad in the traditional attire that is mainly kasavu saree with golden red or green border, perform the Onam dance around a lamp or Pookalam on the floor. Women make a circle around the lamp or flower decoration and move at a slow pace to the tune of some folk music. Kumattikali, Pullikali, Kaikotikali and Thumbi Thullal are the folk dance forms that the women of Kerala perform gracefully.

READ MORE Music & Dance Festivals of India

Kathakali & Pullikali

Among the performing arts of Kerala, Kathakali & Pullikali are part of the Indian cultural heritage. Professional dancers perform these dance forms in different parts of the state on the days of Onam celebration. The popularity of Kathakali is at its zenith not only in Kerala but also all over the country. With international level performers, it has gone global too. Pullikali is a masked dance performance in which dancers dress like tigers. The end of the celebration is marked with Pullikali.

READ MORE Classical Dance, an Indian Cultural Heritage

Vallamkali

It is a boat race, locally known as Vallamkali, which makes Onam festival celebration a cultural extravaganza. Driven by hundreds of oarsmen, the boats compete with each other and run at a break-neck speed on the backwaters. The snake boat race on the Pampa River makes a marvelous spectacle with gripping visuals hanging all over the river. The people of other religions and cultures fly to Kerala in order to witness the grandness of snake boat races during Onam festival celebrations.

Kerala’s Onam celebration is a homecoming occasion for the overseas Malayali community. They can book cheap flight tickets to Kochi from USA on IndianEagle.com, a most trusted travel-booking partner of Indians in America for more than 15 years. 

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Worship of the Almighty as Divine Mother is an age-old tradition in India and a refined part of Indian culture. It has been in existence since prehistoric times, but geographically it is limited to Asian countries in general and India in particular, in the current century. The history of ancient civilizations of Indus, Greece, Rome, Babylon and Egypt bears evidences to the worship of Divine Mother in different forms – nature, art, learning, culture and enlightenment. But Mother Worship has evolved from a tradition into a living religion for Indians. In Bengal, it has reached the highest level of devotion and faith in feminine manifestation of the Divine.   

Kumari Puja at Belur Math in West Bengal, India

In Bengal, Durga Puja or worship of Goddess Durga, an incarnation of Shakti, is the most pious and popular form of Mother Worship. In the Bengali community, the elderly people address young girls as Ma out of affection. “To look upon God as Mother is the purest and the highest form of Sadhana,” said Sri Ramakrishna, who is believed to have worshiped his wife as Divine Mother. Mother is all-in-all for a child.

Kumari Puja, a special attraction of Durga Puja festival in Bengal, is held to celebrate this faith through ceremonious worship of young girls in sense of Divine Mother. Kumari Puja is called Kanya Pujan in North India. Bengal celebrates it on Maha Ashtami, the eighth day of Durga Puja, while it is held on the ninth day or the last day of Navaratri in other states of India. The place to be for Kumari Puja in Bengal is Belur Math, the headquarters of Ramakrishna Mission ashrams across the globe.

Kumari Puja is held wherever Ramakrishna Math & Mission is in the world. But, it is a cultural refinement, grand ceremony and spectacular ritual at Belur Math on the Hooghly River flowing between Howrah and Kolkata. Swami Vivekananda, the founder of Belur Math, had initiated Kumari Puja in appreciation of Sri Ramakrishna’s devotion to Divine Mother and faith in Mother Worship.

The saffron-clad monks of the Ramakrishna Order at Belur Math look upon a young girl as mother and worship her as a goddess, on Maha Ashtami. According to Sri Ramakrishna, little girls at the tender age when they are away from negative forces of the materialistic world are manifestations of the Divine Mother. A little girl at the pre-puberty phase of her growth is bathed in the holy Ganga water, dressed in a crimson red or fiery yellow sari with golden border, and adorned with jewelry.

Also Check: What Makes Durga Puja Grand Celebration for Global Bengalis

The same rituals are performed to worship the Kumari (young unmarried girl) and the same offerings are made to her as those during the worship of Goddess Durga. She is purified and sanctified through chanting of holy mantras. A spectacular arati is performed. Monks and devotees offer flowers at her obedience. The devoted hearts invoke her blessings through prayers. Kumari Puja at Belur Math fetches in a huge gathering of devotees, every year. Even, the whole ceremony is live telecast all over West Bengal.

To say in other words, Kumari Puja at Belur Math is a sacred celebration of the celestial bonding between the Divine and the human. Needless to say, the Kumari Puja ceremony is worth booking last-minute flights to Kolkata during the Durga Puja festival.

About Travel Beats

Travel Beats is an Indian Diaspora news portal by Indian Eagle, a leading travel organization for overseas Indians having a proven record of booking last minute flights to India. We at Travel Beats connect Indians abroad, including Indian Americans with their cultural heritage roots through our stories and features. 

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Kerala is the only Indian state of beaches, backwaters, lakes, houseboats, wildlife, waterfalls and watersports. Snake boat races are major watersports of Kerala. Boat racing is not just a sport but a traditional festivity, unique to the religious being of Kerala India. Though more or less religious in origin, the Kerala boat races used to be held as part of competition or settlement between two rival communities in the bygone eras. Boat racing being organized during temple festivals throughout the year, every month and every season is the best time to visit Kerala for tourists as well as sports enthusiasts. An interface between sports and festivity, most of the boat races are held on Kerala backwaters. Indian Eagle shares some tidbits of the most popular Kerala boat races.

Nehru Trophy Boat Race

One of the boat race festivals in Kerala, the Nehru Trophy Boat Race is a visual extravaganza on the backwaters of Punnamada in Alappuzha district. This boat racing in Kerala is a rowing competition between several groups of oarsmen for the Nehru Trophy. The Nehru Trophy Boat Race owes its origin to a visit by Pt. Jawahar Lal Nehru, the First Prime Minister of India. A snake boat race was held to welcome him. He was so enthralled by the event and the gusto of the participants that he announced the Nehru Trophy to award the winning team. Since then, this Kerala boat race has been an annual event. The trophy is a silver replica of a snake boat.    

Champakulam Moolam

The Champakulam Moolam Boat Race on the Pampa River in Alappuzha district is one of the tourist attractions of Kerala India. The venue of this Kerala boat race is the Pampa River at Champakulam in Alappuzha. The shape of boats with a raised end at the back like the hood of a cobra is unique to the way the Champakulam boat race festival is celebrated to commemorate the age-old event of bringing a new idol of Lord Krishan from Karikulam Temple in Kurichi to a temple at Ambalappuzha by boat, at the behest of King Devanarayana of Chempakasseri. June or July being the month of this festive watersport is the best time to visit Kerala.

Payippad Jalotsavam  

Payippad Jalotsavam is not just the best snake boat race in Kerala but also an attraction of Kerala tourism in South India. A grand festivity for three days, Payippad Jalotsavam is held on the Payippad Lake at a distance of 35km away from Allappuzha, in honor of the presiding deity of the Subramanya Swamy Temple. According to the folklore, the inhabitants of Haripad Village had dreamt that an idol of Swamy Subrahmanya was lying on the bed of the Kayamlulam River before the temple was constructed. The idol was surprisingly found there and brought in a boat to where the temple is located today. This Kerala boat race is annually held to commemorate the event in the month of September.

“Bull Racing in Kerala is not just another adventuresome sport! It is one of the most offbeat sports in India. Kerala’s bull race is India’s answer to Spain’s bullfighting. This furious sport is an extraordinary show of men’s physical strength in contrast with the beastly force of bulls,” said the Editor of Travel Beats, an Indian Diaspora portal by Indian Eagle, a most trusted air-ticketing partner of Keralites in America.

Aranmula Uthrattadi Vallamkali

The oldest boat racing in Kerala, Aranmula Uthrattadi Vallamkali is part of the cultural extravaganza during Onam Festival in August. The Kerala backwaters brim with excitement and enthusiasm of the rowers in hundreds, who oar the boats at a breakneck speed making it a gripping spectacle of energy and madness on the Pampa River. Dedicated to Lord Krishna and his devotee Arjuna, Vallamkali is characterized by embellishment of boats with ornamental umbrellas and flags. 25 folk singers also accompany the rowers during the racing festivity. The racing boats are locally called ‘Palliyodams’. Monsoon being the season of Onam Festival and Vallamkali celebration is the best time to travel to Kerala.

Onam Festival of Kerala will commence on August 30, 2022. This harvest festival of India is celebrated through different ceremonies including Vallamkali Boat Race. It is not just the best time to visit Kerala, but the time for homecoming. Indian Eagle has unbeatable deals for affordable flights to Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram. Click the button below to get the cheapest air tickets.

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Gangaur is one of the few Rajasthani festivals which are celebrated as colorfully as Holi. Gangaur is not just a festival but a celebration of women’s immovable faith in the Divine for their husbands’ wellbeing and the household welfare. The women of Rajasthan worship Gauri, the goddess of power, abundance and marital bliss on the occasion of Gangaur, a most splendid spring festival in Jaipur, Udaipur, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer and Bikaner. Unrestrained fervor of menfolk and boundless devotion of womenfolk make Gangaur festivity a must-see cultural ceremony. Here are some interesting tidbits to share with you.

Worship of Deities

The Gangaur Festival centers on the worship of the deities – Lord Shiva and Goddess Gauri or Parvati. The small effigies of the deities are made of clay or wood. The clay images are immersed into a water body on the last day of the festivity, while the wooden idols are preserved and worshiped every year. The wooden ones are meticulously painted afresh before the ceremony begins. The Gangaur idols are beautifully dressed and worshiped with roli, kumkum, mehendi, haldi, etc.

Rituals for Women

The Gangaur festivity spans for 18 days. The ceremony begins on the next day of Holi festival. The newly married girls are obliged to worship the deities for 18 days and keep fasting for half of the day till the festival is over, in the first year of their marriage. The rituals are the same for unmarried girls and would-be married girls who wish to observe the ceremonies. The other married women worship the deities only on the third day of the festival. They wear red saris or ghagras with golden zari boder along with gold & silver jewellery. They flaunt borla in the parting line of the hair and kumkum on the forehead.

Also Check: Rajasthan’s Gypsy Tribe – Kalbeliya Music and Dance

Departure of Deities

The Gangaur festival ends with the departure of the deities, a grand ceremony which is observed through a spectacular procession. It is the most colorful, joyful and magnificent ceremony to behold. The ethnically dressed married women walk down the street, carrying the deities on their heads during the procession to a garden with a pond or well. Some other women sing folk songs and perform folk dance moves adding to the grandeur of the procession.

Gangaur Festival Sweets

Kheer, choorma, halwa and puri are some of the traditional delicacies on the Gangaur festival menu in Rajasthan. Ghevar, an essential culinary part of the festivity, is one of the most famous Rajasthani sweets. It is made in households and sold in markets during the festivity. It is customary for the people to sweeten the mouths of relatives and friends with slices of ghevar.

Also Check: Rajasthan’s Gogamedi Fair – An Offbeat Celebration in Incredible India 

Mehendi on Hands

Mehendi is one of the traditional rituals of the Gangaur Festival. It is a custom for both married women and unmarried girls to beautify their hands with Mehendi designs. Mehendi signifies good luck and bliss to the married women of Rajasthan. They worship the goddess Gauri with their colorful hands and seek blessings for the wellbeing of their husbands. Even young girls decorate their little hands with Mehendi on this occasion.

Travel Beats is an overseas Indian community portal on culture, travel, and community news by Indian Eagle, a leading international travel organization making air travel to India cheaper and better. Indian Eagle issues cheap flight tickets to Jaipur and other cities for overseas Indians, in order to help them connect with their roots.

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Pilgrimage to the Tirupati Balaji Temple in Andhra Pradesh is incomplete without a piece of laddu, the most sought after prasadam at one of the richest Hindu temples in the world. It has been more than 300 years since laddu was introduced in the naivedhyam to Lord Venkateshwara in August 1715. Surprisingly, this sacred prasadam never falls short of demand even during the peak season of pilgrimage to the hilltop Tirumala shrine. In 2018, Brahmotsavam, the biggest crowd-pulling annual celebration at the Tirumala Temple, saw a record-breaking sale of 5,13,566 laddus on a single day. This pre-pandemic sale is still a landmark event in the history of the temple.

The whole-year-sale of the Tirupati Laddu contributes minimum Rs 300 crore to the Tirumala Temple’s annual revenue of Rs 3000 crore on average. Travel Beats, a leading community portal for Indians abroad, shares with you some interesting facts about the Tirupati Laddu also known as Sri Vari Laddu.

The making and distribution of the sacred prasadam in colossal quantities makes an interesting case study for management students. The Tirumala Temple kitchen where a daily average of 3 lakh laddus and other prasadam are made is called Laddu Potu. Equipped with modern amenities, the Potu can produce 800,000 laddus a day. There are three conveyor belts for transferring ingredients from one end to the other. About 10 tons of gram flour, 300-500 liters of pure ghee, 700 kg of cashew nuts, 540 kg of raisins, 150 kg of cardamom, and 500 kg of sugar candy go into the making of the Tirumala laddu prasadam every day.

Interestingly, the Tirupati laddu undergoes rigorous checks on the index of quality, calorie count, and self-life at a dedicated testing lab before making it to the deity as part of the daily naivedhyam. Not just the final product, but also each of the ingredients used in the making of the holy prasadam undergoes multiple quality checks at the lab. It is said that the secret recipe of the signature laddu dates back to the Pallava dynasty that ruled the southern Telugu and Tamil regions for about 600 years (from 275 CE to 897 CE).

The Tirupati Temple laddu prasadam not only satisfies devotees’ yearning for divine bliss, but also supports the local economy. The daily making of 300,000 laddus or more and other prasadam generates employment for hundreds of local people. About 600 people, including 270 cooks, are employed in the prasad-making unit of the Tirumala Temple kitchen that works three shifts spanning 20 hours a day. Some of them are permanent workers, while some work on a contract basis. More contractual workers are roped in to ramp up the production of laddus for an influx of devotees during the Brahmotsavam. Some volunteers from the Vaishnava community come forward to offer free service in the temple kitchen on festive days.

Until before the pandemic, the world renowned Tirupati Temple laddu used to be made and distributed in three categories: the prasadam laddu, the big laddu, and the small laddu. The Tirumala Temple’s Potu (kitchen) used to produce some 3000 ‘big laddus’ weighing 700 gram each and 75000 ‘prasadam laddus’ weighing 25 gram each on a daily basis, in addition to the continued production of 3 to 3.5 lakh ‘small laddus’ weighing 175 grams each. Among devotees, the VVIPs would get one big laddu free of cost. The special ‘darshan’ ticket holders would get the same for Rs 200 each before the pandemic. Rs 170 was the cost of making a big Tirupati laddu back then. The temple authorities would spend Rs 39 for making a single unit of the most sought after small laddu.

Until the end of 2019, the temple administration offered two small laddus at a subsidized price of Rs 10 each to ‘Divya darshan’ and ‘Sarvadarshan’ devotees. A maximum of two extra laddus were available for Rs 25 each. Devotees wishing to take more prasadam home, in addition to the aforementioned quantity, they would have to pay Rs 50 for a single piece of the small laddu. The complexity of making laddus in three different categories, and the subsidized pricing under different ‘darshan’ systems had been incurring an average loss of Rs 250 crore every year until the entire system, from production to distribution, was simplified by removing multiple size categories and differential prices, right from the beginning of 2020.

Also Check: Tirupati Balaji Temple’s New VIP Darshan System

Now every devotee receives the blessing of Sri Venkateshwara Swamy in the form of a Tirupati laddu (free of cost) after darshan of the deity in the temple. In addition to the free prasadam, any number of laddus can be availed for Rs 50 each in the open counters.

The Tirupati laddu got a Geographical Indication (GI) tag in 2009, which prevents sweet outlets of all sizes from selling counterfeit versions of the laddu. In 2013, the Madras High Court banned the sale of laddus with the brand tag ‘Tirupati’ at a Chennai-based sweet store, in an effort to preserve the sanctity of the Tirumala prasadam as it is touched at the holy feet of Lord Venkateshwara being distributed to pilgrims.

In August 2021, the Tirupati Temple administration took a step towards the green future by replacing single-use plastic bags with biodegradable bags for devotees to carry the prasadam all the way back home. There is a dedicated counter on the premises where devotees can buy these eco-friendly bags before moving on to the laddu counters. Made of corn starch at a lab of the Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) in Hyderabad, the bags are not harmful for both environment and cattle. The temple authorities had distributed the prasadam in about 10 crore single-use plastic bags during the period from 2014 to 2019.

In the 2022-23 budget for the Tirupati Balaji Temple, the governing board expects an estimated income of Rs 4000 crore, including Rs 365 crore from the sale of the legendary laddu prasadam, Rs 670 crore from the interest accrued on fixed deposits in several banks, Rs 360 crore from the sale of darshan tickets, Rs 126 crore from the sale of devotees’ tonsured hair, and Rs 1000 crore from devotee’s direct contribution to the hundi.

How to reach Tirupati Balaji Temple 

About 560 km is the distance between Hyderabad and Tirupati. The distance from Bangalore to Tirupati is some 250 km. 155km is the distance from Chennai to Tirupati. Tirupati Airport (Renigunta) is a short flight from Bengaluru, Chennai and Hyderabad International Airports. Tirupati Town is a 15km drive from Renigunta Airport.

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Ugadi is a festival of the Telugu-speaking populace in the states of South India. Ugadi is celebrated to welcome the Telugu New Year which ushers in a season of freshness and brightness before the colors of Holi entirely fade away. Nature brims with sprightliness when red flowers blossom and mango buds bloom heralding the arrival of New Year for South Indians. The festive ceremonies of Ugadi are observed in harmony with the joy and beauty of nature to mark the beginning of growth, affluence and prosperity for everyone.

Legendary beliefs

Apart from its harmony with the changing face of nature, Ugadi has an age-old association with mythology and history in reference to Hinduism. It is mythically believed that the day when Lord Brahma, the Supreme Creator of the universe, stared creation of life is the first day of a new year or the Ugadi Day. If the cosmic calculations made by Bhaskaracharya, a noted Indian mathematician, are to be believed, the first day of the first month of a new year begins with the Ugadi festivity. The controversy of these beliefs apart, the fields with vibrancy of life, the meadows with colorful blossoms, the mango trees with green foliage and the households with the glow of rangoli refer to a new beginning, a new journey, a new life…

Culinary tidbits

Ugadi comes with the fresh aroma of raw mangoes in the air. It defines the mood and color of the environment, which in turn impacts the festivity and celebration. Raw mango slices are among the ingredients of Ugadi Pachadi, a must-taste festive dish that is unique to the culinary culture of the Telugu people. The women in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh get busy making several different mango preparations including pickle as raw mangoes are available in plenty for two months – April and June. Atukulu Payasam, Boorelu, Bellam Garelu, Semiya Payasam, Rava pulihora, Pappu Pulusu, Vankaya batani, etc. are some of the most popular Ugadi festival dishes, unique to the culinary culture of the Telugu people.

Philosophy of life

Ugadi Pachadi is not just an overtone of the festive celebration but also an integral part of the cultural tradition and a reference to the philosophy of life in the Telugu community. It is a dish of six different tastes and flavors – jaggery, raw mango, tamarind, neem flowers, salt and green chilli – that range from sweet to bitter. The ingredients of the dish symbolize the different phases and experiences of life that everyone undergoes during the journey from cradle to grave. Human life is a harmonious mix of verities including joy and sorrow just Ugadi Pachadi, a mix of different flavors. Ugadi Pachadi is known as Bevu Bella in Karnataka.

Traditional rituals

The people wake up before sunrise. They start the Ugadi day with a holy oil bath early in the morning and wear new clothes. The women draw beautiful rangoli in form of floral designs, as an auspicious mark of the festivity, on the space just outside their homes. The main entrance, doors and windows of houses as well as shops are decorated with strings of fresh green mango leaves called thorana. According to a mythical legend stating that Lord Ganesh, god of wealth and prosperity, is fond of mango leaves, this tradition signifies good harvest and good health. The people visit temples to seek divine blessings for health, wealth, success and prosperity in the New Year.

Travel Beats is an overseas Indian community portal by Indian Eagle Travel. It publishes latest visa, immigration and travel news, inspiring features and interesting community stories. 

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Today is Hindi Day in India. The country celebrates Hindi as the official language of the Indian Union on September 14 every year. September 14 is the day when the Constituent Assembly declared Hindi as the official language for the Union of India in 1949. Hindi is often mistaken to be the national language of India. However, it was initially the official language of only nine Indian states and five union territories including Delhi. Recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi invoked the countrymen to enrich and preserve Hindi and other Indian languages, on the inaugural day of the World Hindi Conference in Bhopal, the capital of Madhya Pradesh.

We at Indian Eagle celebrate the Hindi Day and share some interesting facts about Hindi language:

In 1950, there was a constitutional change in the recognition of Hindi language. The Constitution of India recognized Hindi in the Devanagari script as the official language of the country. The educated class of the then society used to prefer English as a language of official communication even after independence of India. English was to be prohibited 15 years after the Constitution of India was formed on January 26, 1950. But the non-Hindi speaking population of South India, whose mother tongues are hardly similar to Hindi, opposed the proposal to ban the use of English. It forced the Parliament to bring into effect the Official Languages Act 1963, which recognized English as an official language of India. Today, English is the official language of Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh in Northeast India.

Bihar was the first state of British India to have adopted Hindi as its sole official language and replacement of Urdu in the year 1881.

Today, about 40% of the total Indian population speaks Hindi in day-to-day life. Hindi is also spoken in a few foreign countries such as South Africa, Mauritius, New Zealand, Surinam, Fiji, Nepal, and Trinidad and Tobago.

180 million people are proud of Hindi as their mother tongue. It is the second language for almost 300 million people across the globe.

Hindi is often referred to as the “Language of Unity’ because of its wide use by the freedom fighters of India during the British Raj. Mahatma Gandhi, an eminent political figure and freedom fighter, encouraged the use of Hindi as the language of communication, the language of protest and the language of the nation’s collective voice.

The Oxford Dictionary has incorporated the Hindi word “Swadeshi”, which is a matter of pride for the Hindi-speaking Indians and the descendants of the freedom fighters who used the word “Swadeshi” as a sign of patriotism. Besides this, many Hindi words such as ‘Guru’, ‘Nirvana’, ‘Adda’, etc. are used in many parts of the world.

Hindi is mostly influenced by Sanskrit language, which dates back to nearly 5,000 BC. It owes its origin to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European language group. The word “Hindi” came from the Persian word “Hind”, which means the “Land of the Indus River.” The river falls into Pakistan after passing through Tibet and northernmost part of India.

Hindi was called different names at different stages of its evolution in different eras. Hindi was known as Apabhramsa at its earliest stage. Kalidas, a renowned Sanskrit scholar and literary playwright in ancient India, composed a romantic play titled “Vikramorvashiyam” in Apabhramsa in 400 AD.

There are no articles in Hindi language as English has three articles: a, an, and the. One of the most interesting facts about Hindi is that every noun has its own gender, either masculine or feminine. Adjective and verb forms of a noun change according to the gender of the noun. That’s why learning Hindi language and grammar is a difficult task. On the other hand, Hindi is one of the easiest languages to read because words are pronounced as exactly as they are written.

Hindi language has borrowed many words from Arabic and Persian languages. The Mughals enriched the Hindi vocabulary with many Urdu words. Hindi was immensely influenced and modified by the Mughals. However, Hindi is the youngest of all Indian languages.

Hindi is also referred to as a link language as it has interconnected non-resident Indians living around the world. It is the fourth most popular language following Chinese, Spanish and English on the list of ten most widely spoken languages in the world.

George Bush, former President of the USA, had allocated a budget of $114 million to teaching of Hindi as a part of the curriculum from the kindergarten to the graduate level, considering the importance of Hindi as a common native language of Indian Americans during his tenure.

Hindi has found acceptance among South Indians of the present generation. Previously, Hindi was not welcome in this part of the country. Deve Gowda, former Chief Minister of Karnataka, spoke up in support of Hindi language in 1997. Later, former CM of Tamil Nadu, Karunanidhi, recited a Hindi poem during a socio-political campaign. Even current CM of Tamil Nadu, Jayalalitha speaks in Hindi to reach out to the mass during campaigns.

A few other interesting facts about Hindi:

• “Udanta Martanda” was the first Hindi weekly from Calcutta (now Kolkata) in 1826
• Gujarati poem Narmad proposed Hindi as the national language of India in the 1850s
• The term ‘Hindi’ was used for what is known as Urdu today till 1850
• “Samachar Sudhavarshan” was the first Hindi daily from Calcutta in 1854
• The “Bharatendu” period of modern Hindi literature began in 1886
• Raja Harishchandra, the first Hindi movie by Dadasaheb Phalke, was released in 1913
• Alam Ara, the first Hindi talkie in Indian Cinema, was released in 1931
• Hindi typewriters came to markets in the 1930s

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“In India, the calendar of every state is full of only religious events and festivals.” If you think so, you are not absolutely right. Indian states boast of culturally rich dance and music festivals, held in different times of the year. The most celebrated music and dance festivals of India are held at seaside temples, historical sites of architecture ruins and shrines in the cave. The interface between art and history, these festivals are cultural celebrations, ceremonious galas and spectacular events, in the open air atmosphere. Indian Eagle offers an ode to the most famous dance festivals of India.

Soorya Dance Festival, Kerala

Interwoven with the cultural fabric of Kerala, the Soorya Classical Dance Festival is held in the capital city, Thiruvananthapuram, for 10 days every year. The festival is accompanied by some other cultural programs including theatre, photography, painting and seminars. Kathak, Manipuri, Odissi, Kathakali, Bharathanatyam and Kuchipudi are some of the celebrated forms of Indian classical dance which are staged by eminent artists, during the festival. Organized by Soorya Stage and Film Society, this dance festival of India continues from October 1 to 10.

Elephanta Dane Festival, Maharashtra

Among the dance and music festivals of India, Elephanta Festival is a cultural pride of Maharashtra. The festival is held in the cave shrine of Lord Shiva on Elephanta Island, a 10 km boat drive from the Gateway of India in Mumbai Harbor. Illumined with the interplay of various lights, the Lord Shiva temple in the caves of Elephanta Island comes alive as a seat of art and culture, in the month of March every year. Since its inception in 1989 by the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation, Elephanta Dance Festival celebrates the folk dance form of each Indian state.

Khajuraho Dance Festival, Madhya Pradesh

Khajuraho, situated in Madhya Pradesh, holds the cultural traditions of Central India. A small village in Bundalkhand, Khajuraho is famous for its legendary temples where the dance festival is held ceremoniously, in the month of February every year. The festival is a gripping celebration of Indian classical dances, performed in the backdrop of flamboyantly illumined temples – the Chitragupta Temple and the Vishwanatha Temple under the evening sky. Once upon a time the capital of the Chandela Dynasty, Khajuraho is a dedicated chapter in the thousands-year old Indian history.

Konark Dance Festival, Orissa

One of the most spectacular dance and music festivals of India, Konark Dance Festival is held at an open air auditorium in the backdrop of the Sun Temple which is also known as the Black Pagoda. The marvelous architecture of the Konark Sun Temple is shaped like a chariot with wheels drawn by seven horses. On the Chandrabhaga beach of Konark, near the holy city of Puri, the Konark Temple offers a wonderful ambience when lit colorfully during the festival in the month of December. Odissi Dance, an age-old cultural identity of Orissa, is an exclusive highlight of the festival. Other dance performances such as Chau dance, Manipuri, Kathak and Bharathnatyam make it a lavish feast for the eyes.

READ MORE Interesting Facts of Konark Sun Temple

Ellora Ajanta Dance Festival, Maharashtra

Held in the month of January, Ellora Ajanta Dance Festival is an interface between culture and history of India. The historic Ajanta and Ellora caves of Aurangabad are in the spotlight during the festival. Organized by Aurangabad Festival Committee in collaboration with Maharashtra Tourism Development at Soneri Mahal, the festival presents the best of classical and folk dance forms in a blend. The glittering beauty of the festival and the splendid architecture of Soneri Mahal make a rare spectacle to behold with wonder. The regional art and craft of Maharashtra is also exhibited at the festival site.

Mamallapuram Dance Festival, Tamil Nadu

Mamallapuram, a seaside temple town in Kanchipuram district of Tamil Nadu, prides itself on the popularity of the dance festival. The most important port in the Pallava Dynasty of the 7th and 8th centuries, Mamallapuram is a tourist destination known for its stone temples and monolithic rock sculptures. Arjuna’s Penance, a mammoth architecture with finely carved rock sculptures, serves as venue of the Mamallapuram Dance Festival, in the backdrop of the Bay of Bengal. Lulled by gentle breezes blowing over the sea, the atmosphere of the town is suitable for the festive mood. The festival begins in the last week of December and continues for three weeks in January every year.

Modhera Dance Festival, Gujarat

Gujarat does not lag behind other states of India when it comes to claiming fame for art, culture and history. Modhera Dance Festival, an annual cultural phenomenon in Mehsana district of the state, is held at the Sun Temple, an architectural excellence that belongs to the regime of the Solanki King Bhimdev I. Though lying in ruins, the temple exudes its historical charms when the surrounding is illumined for the festival. Dance and music performances by traditionally clad artists add to the spell of the atmosphere. Modhera Dance Festival is held in the month of January.

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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’.

This article featuring lesser-known Indian food facts is brought to you as part of the campaign, “Explore India with Indian Eagle”, aiming to promote what is unheard about India through our overseas Indian community portal, Travel Beats. Travel Beats is a subsidiary of IndianEagle.com, a leading online air travel booking portal for overseas Indians.

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The post Interesting Facts about Origin of Some Popular Indian Dishes from Indian Food History appeared first on Travel to India, Cheap Flights to India, Aviation News, India Travel Tips.