Diwali begins with the celebration of Dhanteras. This Indian festival is dedicated to invoking wealth, health and good fortune. The name Dhanteras comes from Sanskrit and literally means wealth. It is related to a legend that tells of the emergence from the depths of the ocean of Lakshmi, the goddess of prosperity, and Dhanvantari, the god of medicine.
Dhanteras puja should be done during the Pradosh kaal which starts after sunset. The best time to start the puja on Dhanteras during pradosh kaal is during sthir lagna. During this auspicious period, it is said that goddess Lakshmi stays inside the home; hence it is the best time for Dhanteras Pujan. Vrishabha Lagna is considered as sthir and mostly overlaps with pradosh kaal during Diwali festivity.
Why is Dhanteras celebrated?
* Wealth and Abundance: On this day, many people buy gold, silver or other valuable objects as a symbol of future prosperity.
* Wellness and Health: Dhanvantari, the god of medicine, is honored to ensure health and wellness.
* Light and Positivity: Houses are illuminated with oil lamps (diyas) to welcome Lakshmi and ward off negative energies.
* Ritual: Prayers and rituals dedicated to Lakshmi and Dhanvantari are performed.
What to do for Dhanteras?
1. Seeking Prosperity: The day is regarded as highly auspicious for making new purchases, especially of precious metals, jewelry, and utensils. This symbolizes welcoming prosperity and wealth into the household.
2. Worship of Lord Dhanvantari: People perform pujas (rituals) to honor Lord Dhanvantari for good health and well-being. In many households, people also worship Yama, the god of death, on this day to avoid untimely death and ensure a long life.
3. Preparation for Diwali: Dhanteras is also considered the first day of Diwali festivities, where homes are cleaned and decorated to welcome Goddess Lakshmi and drive away negative energies. Lighting lamps or diyas on this day is a symbol of inviting light and positivity into one’s life.
4. Traditional Shopping: Buying gold, silver, and utensils is considered highly auspicious. This tradition stems from the belief that the new wealth and items purchased will bring good fortune and success in the coming year.
5. Games: In some regions, people play cards, believing it brings luck.
Historical and Mythological Background:
1. Legend of Lord Dhanvantari: According to Hindu mythology, during the Samudra Manthan (churning of the ocean of milk), Lord Dhanvantari emerged from the ocean on this day with a pot of Amrit (nectar of immortality) and Ayurvedic texts. Dhanvantari is considered the god of medicine and health, and his emergence signifies the importance of good health for prosperity.
2. Legend of King Hima's Son: Another legend associated with Dhanteras is the story of the young prince, the son of King Hima, whose horoscope predicted death by snake bite on the fourth day of his marriage. His newlywed wife kept him awake the entire night, and to prevent the snake from entering, she placed heaps of gold, silver, and precious metals at the door and illuminated the area with lamps. When Yama, the god of death, arrived disguised as a snake, the dazzling glow of the ornaments and the lights blinded him, preventing the snake from biting the prince, thus saving his life.
3. Connection to Wealth: Dhanteras is also linked to Goddess Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth. People believe that buying gold, silver, and other valuable items on Dhanteras will bring prosperity and good fortune to their homes.
Why Goddess Lakshmi Is Worshipped on Dhanteras?
Once Goddess Lakshmi wanted to accompany Vishnu to the earth during one of His visits. Vishnu agreed to take Her with him provided She will not fall for earthly temptation and will not look in the southern direction.
But Lakshmi was tempted to look in the southern direction and when she got an opportunity she looked in the southern direction. In southern direction she saw yellow mustard flowers and started dancing in the fields and decorated herself with the flowers. She fell for earthly temptations.
Further south she saw sugarcane fields and started enjoying the sugarcane juice. Vishnu soon found out that Lakshmi had violated the conditions and said that now you will need to spend 12 years as laborer in the field of the person to whom the sugarcane and flowers belonged.
With the arrival of Lakshmi as laborer the farmer became very prosperous. Twelve years passed and it was time for Lakshmi to return. But the farmer was not ready to relieve a good laborer. So he offered Goddess Lakshmi more wages. But Lakshmi still wanted to leave; the farmer offered more things and this denial and offers continued.
Finally, Lakshmi asked the farmer and his family to take a pilgrimage to Ganga River and they will decide on her future stay there on his return. Goddess Lakshmi also gave four small shells to the farmer to offer to Ganga.
When the farmer was offering the shells to River Ganga, four hands came up and accepted the offering. Farmer soon realized that the shells he offered was no ordinary shell and the person who gave it was no ordinary woman. He prayed to Goddess Ganga to enlighten him. Goddess Ganga then revealed that the woman at the farmer’s home is Lakshmi.
The farmer returned home happily realizing that it was Goddess Lakshmi who was staying in his house. He requested her not to leave. Lakshmi said that she cannot live on earth permanently and has to return. But she said that she will visit him on all Dhanteras day. She asked the farmer to keep the house clean and light an earthen lamp.
The farmer said as directed by Lakshmi and he became very prosperous and people who came to know about the incident started performing the same ritual on Dhanteras day.
The deep meaning
Dhanteras is not just a material festival but also a spiritual festival. It is a time to give thanks for the blessings received and to invoke a prosperous and happy future. Turning on the lights, we celebrate the victory of light over darkness and invite prosperity in all its forms: material, spiritual and familial.
In short, Dhanteras is a festival that reminds us of the importance of gratitude, hope, and well-being, not only individually but collectively as well.
What to Eat During Dhanteras?
These Dhanteras recipes are just what you need! This comprehensive list covers everything from breakfast to dinner, from savory starters to hearty main courses to divine desserts.
1. Kheel Namkeen
Kheel namkeen is a sweet and savory snack made with kheel (sweet puffed rice), roasted peanuts and tomato chips stuffed in roasted papad (fried dough). The mixture is seasoned with chat masala, red chili, and ginger powder, so this snack really packs a punch. Serve it with hot tea for a delicious afternoon treat.
2. Butter Murukku
Butter murukku is a crispy, potato chip-like snack popular in South India. The word murukku means twisted, which refers to the snack's characteristic shape. These narrow strips are made of fried rice dough. Think churros, but richer and much crunchier. The dough is flavored with salt, butter, and Indian spices, so expect them to be highly addictive.
3. Thattai
Thattai is another fried snack in India. Just like murukku, it is also made with rice flour. In fact, these two snacks are often prepared and served together. The only difference is that Thattai chips are round and flat, unlike the strand-like profile of murukku.
4. Ribbon Pakoda
Ribbon pakoda is a variation of murukku. It has the same base of rice flour and besan paste, but is shaped into long, flat ribbons. They don't just look good, they taste amazing too. They're super light, crispy, and crunchy, and thanks to a blend of Indian spices, they'll taste simply divine.
5. Gulab Jamun
Gulab jamun is a beautiful dessert made of sweet and fluffy balls dipped in a thick sugar syrup. The balls are made from flour, powdered milk, baking powder, and clarified butter. It forms a dough that is then rolled into smooth balls and fried in ghee.
6. Aloo Chaat
It's a decadent snack of fried potatoes seasoned with Indian spices and chutney. If you are not a fan of fatty snacks, you can also boil the potatoes and enjoy a healthier alternative. This particular recipe fries potatoes and flavors them with yogurt, tamarind, dates, and chutney. The contrast of flavors is strong in this snack!
7. Sev
Sev is another addictive snack with a crunchy and salty profile. Its dough is made from chickpea flour and spices shaped into thin, long strands, which are then fried in oil. What makes sev very special is the blend of flavorings that go into the dough, namely turmeric, red chili, hot oil and Indian spices.
8. Chakli
Chakli is yet another variation of murukku – a delicious fried snack made with rice flour, gram flour and spices. These spiral-shaped snacks are light, crunchy and full of flavour. There's no one way to flavor chakli, which means you're free to make it as mild or as spicy as you like.
9. Gajar Ka Halwa
Carrot halwa is a delicious dessert made with carrots. Yes, there are other carrot-based desserts besides carrot cakes and cupcakes. It is a rich, creamy, and gooey pudding studded with dried fruits and nuts.
10. Mathri
Mathri, Mathiya or Mathari is a North Indian snack made of crispy, flaky crackers. They are made more flavorful by salt, spices, and seasonings, and pair perfectly with chai tea and pickles. The great thing about this recipe is that you can choose to fry or bake the crackers. They'll come out wonderful either way.
11. Aloo Tikki
Aloo tikki is a snack of crispy potato pancakes seasoned with herbs and spices. Aloo tikkis can be stuffed with chat masala, chana dal (split chickpeas), and other herbs and spices. But for this recipe, you'll stick to the basics. Serve these tikkis with mint chutney or stuff them into hamburger buns for a hearty snack.
12. Karasev
Karasev looks and tastes a bit like murukku (fried spiral snack), but with a more aromatic and deeper flavor. Its flavor profile comes from a combination of red chili powder and coarsely ground chilies. It's really spicy, so only try it if you can handle the heat.
13. Paneer Makhani
Paneer makhani is a delicious Indian stew cooked in butter, tomatoes, and cream. Garam masala and other Indian spices add a little spice. Swimming in this thick sauce are pieces of crumbly cottage cheese or paneer. Serve it with rice, naan, or roti for a satisfying vegetarian meal.
14. Nippatu
Nippattu are crispy, crunchy rice crackers from the cuisine of Karnataka. These round, cookie-like treats are packed with different flavors from roasted peanuts, dried coconut, cumin, chili powder, curry, and sesame seeds.
15. Jalebi
Jalebi is yet another deep-fried spiral-shaped snack. Unlike the salty murukku and chakli, this one is sweet. Think funnel cakes, but instead of powdered sugar, jalebi is coated in sugar syrup. This creates a crispy granulated sugar crust, making the snack even more delicious.
16. Pistachio Coconut Ladoo
Ladoos are sweet, fluffy balls made of flour and sugar. In this variation, the balls are formed from a paste of desiccated coconut, condensed milk, melted butter, and finely ground pistachios. To top it off, the balls are rolled in more ground pistachios to create another layer of texture and flavor.
17. Kheer
Kheer is a traditional Indian rice pudding made from basmati rice slowly cooked in milk, sugar, saffron, and cardamom. This transforms the rice into a smooth, creamy kheer that is simply divine. A variety of nuts and dried fruits are added to the kheer for texture variety.
18. Vegetable Pakora
You can probably tell by now that Indians have a love affair with fried snacks. Pakora is another one. This time, instead of batter, a mixture of vegetables is dipped in batter and fried until golden brown. The vegetables can range from carrots and cabbage to beans and peppers.
19. Dahi Papdi Chaat
Dahi papdi chaat is a refreshing delicacy of papdi (fried dough) topped with boiled potatoes, chickpeas, onions, chutneys, tomatoes, and spices. It's a colorful plate full of hearty and delectable flavors! It's a mix of sweet, salty, hot or spicy flavors, and it's simply delicious.
20. Namak Para
From the words namak and para/pare meaning salt and pieces, relatively, we can deduce that namak para is a salty snack cut into pieces. Like many other snacks on this list, namak para are also made from dough that is fried to crispy perfection. They are cut into diamond pieces for added appeal.
21. Shankarpali
Shakkar para is a delicious snack of crispy sugar cookies made with flour, sugar and ghee. As you've probably guessed, the cookie dough is fried to make the cookies wonderfully light and crispy.
22. Kaju Masala
Simply roasted cashews, in my opinion, are already perfect enough. I can't get enough of their crunch and unique nutty flavor. In India, however, the simple snack is given a makeover by coating the nuts in a paste of flour, spices and seasonings. They are then either roasted, fried or air-fried to crispy perfection.
23. Badam Burfi
Badam burfi is the Indian version of fudge. It is made by combining almond flour, rose water, cardamom, saffron, and ghee. Normally, badam burfi requires a certain level of expertise, but even novice home cooks can pull off this simplified version.
24. Poori
Poori is a popular Indian snack of crispy, soft, and tender puffed bread. This versatile snack can be enjoyed on its own or served with chutney or with curries and stews.
25. Badusha
Topping off this list is the badusha, which is India's own doughnut. It's also soft and tender, but with a unique flaky texture. The batter is made by mixing flour, ghee, and baking soda. They are deep-fried until golden brown and topped with a lemon sugar syrup, almonds, and saffron strands.
You have composed it so wonderfully Kalyan!
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