Modak!
Round from the bottom and folded perfectly from the top, the modak is a
lip-smacking sweet from Maharashtra. As Ganesh Chaturthi recently got over, I
thought of writing a bit about why Ganpati bappa loved modak so much.
Firstly, a bit about the history of modak. The traditional modak is the ukdiche
modak which is a steamed version of the modak. It has a filling of jaggery
(gud) and coconut (nariyal). This filling is wrapped in rice
flour and steamed. The modak is usually eaten with tup or ghee. The three main ingredients of modak – jaggery,
coconut and rice flour are local ingredients of Maharashtra. Hence, the modak
started in Maharashtra. It is said to have been popularized from Shivaji’s
period, when the Kasba Ganpati became the gram devta of Pune.
Now, why is modak associated with Ganpati?
Here, we turn to mythology. Modak is mentioned in two folklores:
1) Shiv
and Parvati were invited to a lunch by Anusuya (a rishi’s wife). The dutiful
hostess served lots of food to the family. There was so much variety, food from
different regions, with different textures and numerous flavours. But Ganesh
remained hungry. He kept on eating all he was given, but his hunger was not
satisfied. Finally, Anusuya thought of something sweet and brought some modaks
for Ganesh. They finally satisfied his hunger. And after eating them, he burped
21 times. That’s why 21 modaks are offered to Ganesh.
2 2) The
devtas once came to visit Shiv and Parvati and presented them with a divine
modak. The person who ate it would become knowledgeable in all shastras.
Parvati wanted to present it to her sons. But they weren’t ready to share it.
Hence, Parvati asked them to prove their sincerity and devotion. Karthikey,
Ganesh’s brother mounted on his vahana and travelled to all three
worlds, but Ganesh just went around Shiv and Parvati, to show his devotion
towards them. Hence, Parvati gave him the modak. Here, the modak acts as a
symbol of Ganesh’s dedication towards his parents are well as a representation
of knowledge, wisdom and sincerity.
Modak isn’t just a dish, it a symbol
of all that Lord Ganesh stands for: knowledge, wisdom and divinity.
No comments:
Post a Comment