Celebrating Ganesh Chaturthi - A Hindu Festival
Ganesh Chaturthi is a lively holiday that honors Lord Ganesha with prayers, celebrations, and actions that are good for the environment.
A Division of Nishnai Holidays
The vibrant Hindu festival of Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated every year with great fervour and enthusiasm all across India. This 10-day-long festival marks the birth anniversary of the beloved elephant-headed God, Lord Ganesha, who is the younger son of Maa Parvati and Lord Shiva. He is widely revered as the remover of obstacles and the patron of arts, sciences, and intellect.
Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated on the fourth day of the waxing moon period (Shukla Chaturthi) in the month of Bhadrapada (August/September) as per the Hindu lunisolar calendar. During this festival, elaborate prayers are offered to huge, brightly painted idols of Lord Ganesha installed both in homes and public pandals. Devotees fast, chant devotional songs, Ganesh darshan, and hymns like the Ganesh Atharvashirsha and Ganpati Upanishad, and offer an array of offerings to please the Lord.
But what is Lord Ganesha’s own favorite food item that devotees prepare to grace his vighnaharta powers? Read on to find out about Ganesh Chaturthi Special Food!
The one food item that Lord Ganesha loves the most and is closely associated with is the modak. Among the 21 items offered to Lord Ganesha on Ganesh Chaturthi as part of the offering called ‘Ganesh Chaturthi special food,’ modak holds a special significance.
Modaks are sweet dumplings made of coconut and jaggery stuffed inside rice flour/wheat flour dough and steamed. They are also fried to make crispy modaks. Other versions like chocolate modaks and dry fruit modaks are also popular.
According to Hindu scriptures, when Lord Ganesha defeated the demon Sindhurasur, the Gods showered him with divine modaks as a prize. Another story suggests that Lord Ganesha chose the modak as his favorite food after taking one bite of the treat offered by Lord Vishnu.
The modak is symbolic of the sweet rewards of one’s hard work. Hence, by offering modaks to Lord Ganesha, devotees pray and do ashtavinayak darshan for his blessings to achieve success in their endeavours and remove obstacles from their path. No Ganesh pooja or Ganesh Chaturthi festival is complete without offering steaming hot modaks to steam modak for the Lord as prasad.
During Ganesh Chaturthi, it is customary to offer Lord Ganesha 21 modaks on a plate called ‘modak patra.’ But why exactly 21? What’s the significance behind this number?
The number 21 is considered very auspicious as per Hindu traditions. The 21 modaks offered to Lord Ganesha during puja rituals represent the following:
Thus, by offering Ganesha this 21 modak, devotees seek his divine blessings for the proper functioning and health of all these faculties. The modaks also symbolize surrendering the 21 elemental parts of one’s existence to the Lord’s divine will.
Modaks come in many different shapes, sizes, and flavors. Here are some of the most popular varieties of this divine sweet dumpling modak easy recipe delicacy:
Steamed modaks are the traditional method of preparing this festive treat. Rice flour or wheat flour dough is stuffed with a coconut-jaggery mixture and steamed until cooked. The sweet, soft, and tender steam modak is especially loved by kids. Steaming helps them retain the natural flavours perfectly.
Fried modaks are made by deep-frying the stuffed modak dumplings in oil until golden brown and crisp. They make for an indulgent, crunchy treat loved by adults and kids alike. Fried modaks tend to have a longer shelf life than steamed ones.
Ukadiche modaks are a novel variation of modaks that are prepared by boiling. The packed modak balls are delicately simmered in a sugar syrup infused with cardamom and saffron. This imparts a subtly sweet flavor to them. Ukadiche modaks are a well-liked type of modak that originates from Maharashtra.
Motichoor modaks are filled with crushed motichoor ladoo, also known as boondi ladoo. The sweet and creamy boondi filling combined with the soft, steamed dough makes for a melt-in-the-mouth modak experience. It’s an inventive twist on the traditional preparation and also a modak, easy recipe.
Lord Ganesha’s favourite food - the modak - is prepared with love and devotion by devotees during Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations each year. From traditional steamed modaks to innovative modak ice creams, this sweet dumpling encapsulates the rich cultural and culinary heritage of India. The act of preparing modaks of the Ganesh Chaturthi special food, offering them to Lord Ganesha, and then sharing them as prasad represents the spirit of harmony, sharing, and togetherness that this festival signifies.
This Ganesh Chaturthi brings home Lord Ganesha’s beloved modaks and offers them faith and piety to seek his auspicious blessings. And be sure to relish them as prasad after taking ashtavinayak darshan with friends and family! Happy and prosperous Ganesh Chaturthi to all of you. Ganpati Bappa Morya!
