Panchamrita
Panchamrita (lit. five Amṛtas in Sanskrit) is a mixture of five foods used in Hindu as well as Jain worship and puja and Abhiṣeka which are usually honey, sugar, cow milk, curd and ghee.[1][2] After panchamrita is used in puja and abhisheka, it is distributed as prasad.[3]
Preparation
Panchamrita is prepared by mixing cow milk, curd, honey, jaggery, and ghee. However, there may be certain regional variations in ingredients. Most south Indians add ripe banana[4] as well. Panchamrita is an Ayurvedic preparation but has been manipulated in several places to cut costs and increase keeping value.[citation needed]
Some people use sugar instead of jaggery, which is not accepted by all, as sugar is not a natural element like jaggery and sugar is sometimes refined using bone charcoal which makes it inappropriate to use for pooja.[citation needed]
In Palani Murugan temple, Tamil Nadu, panchamrita consists of banana, sugar, ghee, honey, seedless dates, cardamom and sugar candy.[5] The banana used is the Virupatchi variety, which grows only in the Palani hills and has very low water content.[6]
Keralites may also include tender coconut. Some recipes also include grapes.[7]
Usage
- It is used as an offering during poojas.
- It is used as a libation during Abhisheka.
- It is also used as a skin cleanser.
- It was introduced into the practice of African American hoodoo folk-magic by the occult writer Henri Gamache during the 1940s.[8]
References
- ^ For definition of पञ्चामृत (IAST: pañcāmṛta ) as "the collection of five sweet things used in worshipping deities" see: Apte 1965, p. 578,
- ^ Delamaine, James (1826). "Of the Sra'wacs or Jains". Transactions of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland. 1 (2): 413–438. doi:10.1017/S095047370000029X. ISSN 0950-4737. JSTOR 25581717.
- ^ "Happy Mahashivratri 2018: Importance Of Panchamrit And How To Make It At Home". NDTV.com. Retrieved 5 March 2020.
- ^ Karigoudar, Ishwaran (1977). A populistic community and modernization in India. ISBN 9004047905. Retrieved 23 May 2009.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 14 July 2018. Retrieved 22 December 2016.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Palani temple to double panchamritam production". The Economic Times. Palani, India. 6 October 2009.
- ^ Nair, K.K. (26 March 2007). Sages Through Ages, Proof of divinity given. ISBN 9781418446895. Retrieved 23 May 2009.
- ^ Millett, Deacon (2013). Hoodoo Honey and Sugar Spells: Sweet Love Magic in the Conjure Tradition. Lucky Mojo Curio Co. ISBN 978-0-9719612-4-1.
- Apte, Vaman Shivram (1965), The Practical Sanskrit Dictionary (Fourth revised and enlarged ed.), Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass Publishers, ISBN 81-208-0567-4
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