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Nag Panchami is one of the greatest and most revered festivals in the Hindu calendar, as it is connected with the worship of serpents, which is carried out with a lot of cultural and religious significance in India. It is celebrated on the fifth day of the bright half of the month of Shravana and is a time filled with elaborate rituals and traditional songs, in addition to special foods prepared especially to please the serpent gods. Be it Maharashtra or West Bengal, every state of India adds its distinctive flavours and style of cooking to this festival and showcases the vibrant cultural diversity. The food prepared on this day is steeped in deep spiritual significance. Here is a diverse array of dishes prepared across different states to pay respect to this auspicious occasion.
Nag Panchami Significance
Nag Panchami is a festival of great cultural and spiritual significance, steeped in ancient Hindu mythology. It is dedicated to serpent worship—chiefly the Nagas or serpent gods—and celebrated with the belief that it provides protection from snake bites and is a source of prosperity and fertility. It is the day of various rituals, ranging from offerings of milk, turmeric, and flowers to snake idols, to the live worship of snakes through snake charmers in some parts. Devotees visit temples built by Nagas and join elaborate ceremonies dressed in the likeliness of these deities. Nag Panchami is celebrated differently in different parts of the country, where each state brings out its distinctive customs and traditions. However, one thread that unifies these celebrations is the preparation of special foods, which are supposed to please the serpent gods and bring blessings to the devotees.
Dishes Prepared Across India
Patholi
This is a traditional sweet dish which is predominantly prepared in the coastal regions of Maharashtra and Karnataka. This delicacy is prepared with rice flour, coconut, and jaggery and is steamed in turmeric leaves, which give it a distinct flavour and aroma. The dish is symbolic to the importance of this festival because, in Hinduism, turmeric is considered a holy herb and often forms part of various Hindu rituals. One prepares the Patholi by spreading a rice flour batter on turmeric leaves, filling it with a sweet coconut-jaggery mixture, folding the leaves, and steaming them to perfection. Steamed leaves, redolent with fragrance and sweetness, form a delicious part of the Nag Panchami celebrations.
Karithya Kadubu
Karithya Kadubu, also known as Karida Kadubu, is a kind of dumpling that takes a special place in the Nag Panchami celebrations of Karnataka. These dumplings are made with rice flour and a filling of grated coconut spiced with green chillies, ginger, and cumin seeds, all steamed and then served with a dollop of ghee. This dish reflects the importance of simplicity and purity in the festival and mixes well with the vegetarian observances that are common during Nag Panchami. Much like a labour of love, each dumpling in the Karithya Kadubu is prepared painstakingly in order to present it as a perfect offering to the gods.
Tilkut
Prepared essentially from til and jaggery, the sweet is an essential staple consumed during Nag Panchami in Bihar. This sweet dish is not only full of flavour but also has loads of health factors: it is rich in iron and calcium, in particular. Sesame seeds have to be roasted to a golden brown colour, mixed with melted jaggery, flattened into barfi-like shape, and then cut into pieces. It is not only dear to the locals but also a major offering of the festival against which the devout pray for nourishment and blessings from the serpent gods.
Raskadam
A delicious Bengali sweet prepared with chenna, or paneer, and khoya, or milk solids. Though most relished during Nag Panchami in West Bengal, it is offered as prasad to the snake goddess, Manasa Devi. To make Raskadam, chenna small balls are prepared, then soaked in sugar syrup, and covered in a mixture of khoya and powdered sugar. This sweet creamy treat has made the Raskadam in the festival dear to one's heart and thus reinforces the richness and sweetness that the occasion wishes to celebrate.
Paal Kozhukattai
Paal Kozhukattai is a traditional Tamil rice flour sweet dumpling cooked in sweetened milk. During Nag Panchami, this dish has to be included without fail in Tamil Nadu. It is cooked and offered to the serpent god. The dumplings are marble-sized balls boiled and then simmered in sweetened milk until they absorb the flavours and thicken the milk slightly. The Paal Kozhukattai is served hot, sprinkled with cardamom powder for a warm and spiritually complete closure of the Nag Panchami meal.
