Offerings to the Divine

As Hindus celebrate the nine-day festival of Navarathri and prepare for Deepavali this month, we take a look at sacred foods offered to the gods.

Words & food styling : Lyra Deanna      Photography : Adam Lee

South Indians often offer savoury food like (left to right) vadai spiced chickpeas and lemon rice for puja rituals.

In the Vedas – early Hindu sacred writings and religious books such as the Dharmasãtras – the subject of food is extensively explored. In the Taittiriya Upanishad, one of the philosophical texts considered a source of early Hinduism, it is written that “Food is life, therefore one should give food; eating is the supreme sacrifice.” This serves to underline the importance of food in the rituals of the Hindu religion, where food offered to the deities, who are the incarnations of God, becomes sanctified prasad – a Sanskrit word meaning ‘mercy’ or ‘offerings’.

     Making offerings to the deities in the Hindu pantheon is known as puja, often consisting of sacred food items, but can also include offerings like flowers, leaves from the mango and banyan trees and herbs. Simple puja can be made on a daily basis, with more elaborate puja often taking place during festivals like the nine nights of Navarathri or Deepavali/Diwali.

     At Deepavali, offerings are particularly made to Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and prosperity, as well as Krishna, who is referred to as the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

     In addition to the particular foods offered to the deities, ritual fasting and abstinence (the most common incarnation of which is vegetarianism) are also very important in the Hindu tradition, especially when one undertakes a holy vow (vrata). The vow is usually made at religious festivals, in conjunction with a pilgrimage or to help with the achievement of a personal goal.

     For culinary teacher Manju Saigal who hails from India, the preparation of prasad for puja is an inherent part of worship. “One of the things that we always offer is panchamrit or holy nectar. In Sanskrit, panch means five and amrit means nectar. As such, the offering is made from five ingredients – milk, yoghurt, honey, water from the Ganges and a little ghee.” When offered in the temple, a little holy nectar is dropped into the open palms of the devotees by a priest. It is then discreetly drunk off the palms.