Food. The word in itself is so dear to us. Don’t we all have our favourite food items that we would die for? It’s the same with the Supreme Being.
The Hindu festival calendar keeps ticking all year round giving us reasons to celebrate time and again. Be it celebrating god’s birthday like Ganesh Chaturthi or Krishna Jayanti or festivals like Diwali and Sankranti, preparing bhog or prasad is one of the common rituals among them all.
Yes, we are talking about the yummy delicacies that our moms prepare on such auspicious days – the treats that are made with dollops of ghee and offered to the Gods.
Obviously, our Creator accepts anything that is made with love and devotion. But why not make that extra effort to prepare the food that He/She loves?
Goddess Durga – Durga Puja
Lord Narayana (aka Lord Vishnu) said in Srimad Devi Bhagavatam: “The worshipper is to offer cake flour to Devi Durga. It is a rule to give an offering of payasam or kheer (known as Devi Payasa).”
Goddess Durga is worshipped widely during Durga Puja and there are various tales behind why. My Bengali friends, with immense pride, narrated these two versions to me.
Goddess Durga was created out of necessity – to trounce the demon king Mahishasura and his army. She was formed out of fire that came out of all the gods. Loaded with weapons, she descended on Earth mounted on a lion.
The second version says that it is during these five days that Goddess Durga visits her maika (parents’ home) and, thus, the festivities.
The celebrations are considered incomplete without the scrumptious food at the community pandals. The most important bhog that is offered to the Goddess is the khichudi and chutney.
Goddess Lakshmi – Diwali
The Goddess of fortune: The one we definitely want to please! She represents the epitome of prosperity, wealth, abundance, harmony and well-being.
Goddess Lakshmi is invited to visit our homes on the Diwali day to shower her blessings. This is why our mothers urge us to keep our houses sparkling clean (Goddess Lakshmi hates untidiness by the way!) and diyas are lit so she can find our homes.
She likes anything that is made of rice. So, your best bet would be offering her rice kheer and rice pancakes. Not only that but assorted mithais are made during this festival like gulab jamuns, pedas, ladoos... the list is endless.
Lord Ganesha – Ganesh Chaturti
Have you wondered why we seek Ganesha’s (our favourite elephant-headed god) blessings before starting any work? The answer to this has a major connection to his special love – modak.
Modaks are dumplings made with rice flour and packed with coconut and jaggery. Of course, there are many variations prepared across India.
The mythology behind it is that a special modak was presented to Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati by the demi-gods and it was said that the one who ate it would have command over scriptures, art and writing. Being a mother of two, Goddess Parvati wanted both her sons to have it, but the brothers weren’t willing to share. So it was decided that the one who would travel around the world three times first would get the modak. Instantly, Lord Karthik mounted his peacock and set off to travel the world. But Lord Ganesha wisely mounted his vehicle (his mouse) and went around his parents whom he considered his world.
His sincerity and wisdom won him the special modak. Since then, modak is Lord Ganesha’s favourite sweet.
Oh, did I forget to add that he absolutely loves ladoos as well?
Lord Krishna – Krishna Jayanti
Our much-loved and notorious Lord Krishna is also famously known as makhan chor. Legend goes, he loved butter so much that he used to not only devour all the butter in his own house but would also eat up the whole village’s butter by breaking their handis that were hung up high.
On his birthday, Krishna Jayanti or Janmashtami, mouth-watering delicacies are prepared to please him. Gopalkala and srikhand are prepared in the northern part of India and seedai, tattai and muruku are made in the southern part of the country.
A day after Diwali, a special spread with 56 food items called chhappan bhog is offered to Lord Krishna. The day is called Annakut Utsav or Govardhan Puja. It celebrates his victory after he lifted the Govardhan hill to save his villagers from the wrath of Lord Indra.
Lord Shiva – Mahashivratri
Mahadev is easy to please. Residing on Mount Kailash in the Himalayas, Lord Shiva is one God who is satisfied with minimal offerings. Milk or any sweet that is made of milk is his favourite.
Mythologically, bhang is the most famous prasad that is offered to the Neelkantha – blue-throated God. Crushing these leaves into milk and drinking the mixture has become an important part of Mahashivratri celebrations – it is said to cure many ailments and relieve all sorts of pain.
He is also worshipped by preparing panchamrit, which is a mixture of five nectars – milk, curd, ghee, honey and sugar. These items are mixed in equal proportions and offered to Lord Shiva.
PS: Of course, there are other Gods and Goddess and they have their own favourite foods but I’m running out of space here. So, go ahead and tell us what, according to you, are the favourite foods of your favourite Gods.
(A die-hard romantic and foodie, Sneha turned into a storyteller after her trekking expedition in the Himalayas while conquering the Chanderkhani Pass. Currently, she is busy ticking off things to do and places to visit from her bucket list. Also, you will never hear her say “I have travelled enough”.)
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