It is Vaishnava Srikrishnajayanthi tomorrow, the celebration of the birth of Vishnu incarnate- Lord Krishna, and the day floods me with several fond memories- Bakshanams- and loads of it, Kolams, flowers.. all unforgettable. The initial training as a school-going girl, learning the nuances for independent preparation from my grandmother, and balancing my work and Krishnajayanthi bakshanam preparations later in life was something that I enjoyed doing and cherish those moments even today.

My grandmother insisted that any bakshanam preparation should be on the Nutan Stove as it is cost-effective. She would place the stove on the floor and sit on a low stool and I would be the one running around. The order of preparation was always set- first we would begin with Kaimurruku followed by Thattai, Seedai, and Vella Seedai. Appam, Paal Payasam, Vella Aval, Seeyam, Navaneetham, and cut fruits would be prepared on the day of Krishnajayanthi. The dinner would be a Kalyana Saapadu with Morekuzhambu, Vadai, Appalam, Payasam and the list is endless.

Whew! Was it me who did all that? Yes, and it was a time when all of us in the family enjoyed eating. We loved to dig into the huge ‘tins” of fried neivedhyam and it lasted us for weeks. There was absolutely no feeling of guilt after eating all the homemade fried stuff. Our day-to-day living was inbuilt with hectic physical activity and food and festivals were enjoyed in true spirit. The spiritual significance of the celebration and the neivedhyam was also ingrained and was taken seriously.

Now my life has taken a different turn. Away from home on work, I curb my festival zest and just shut my mind and thoughts. Commercialization, easy and all-time availability of all the Krishnajayanthi bakshanams has changed the mindset of the coming generations. ‘Waiting ‘combined with excitement is waning. Change is the order of the day and acceptance is the key to inner peace. Yet, I await the time when I can get back to my yesteryear routine.

Foodialogues brings to you the traditional Sri Krishna Jayanthi Bakshanams and the vidhanam for the special day.

SRI KRISHNA JAYANTHI VIDHANAM IN MY HOUSE

The preparations for SriJayanthi begin at least 2 to 3 days ahead of the actual festival. Fried preparations such as Kaimurruku, Thattai, Seedai, and Vella Seedai are prepared in advance and stored safely. Thengozhal, Cheepu seedai, and other types of murruku can also be prepared depending upon family traditions.

On the day of the festival, the women and girls of the house take a ceremonial oil bath and begin the festival preparations. The outside of the house is adorned with a maavu “padi kolam”. The women of the house fast till the evening pooja. Fruits and milk are generally partaken. The preparation of Appam, Paal Payasam, Vella Aval, Seeyam, Navaneetham, and cut fruits are done and placed for neivedhyam.

The pooja room is cleaned. The little Krishna is placed on a peetam, a small, decorated plank, or a swing and adorned with a new vastram. Fragrant flowers are used to decorate the pooja room and the idols. A wooden manai or a plank decorated with kolam is placed before Krishna. All the bakshanams are placed on it for neivedhyam.

The house is swept and mopped in the afternoon and using fresh rice paste, maavu, the house is decorated with kolams and Krishna Paadams. The paadams are drawn from the outside of the house all the way to the pooja room signifying little Krishna’s entry into the house.

The pooja to little Krishna begins anytime after 6.00pm. Later the better. After the lighting of lamps Vishnusahasaranam and Krishna Astakam are recited. The neivedhyam is offered to God with heartfelt prayer for the well-being of all.

Sri Krishna Jayanthi Neivedhyam Recipes

NAVANEETHAM RECIPE:

Ingredients:

• Fresh white butter 1 cup
• Rock candy /Kalkandu powdered ¼ cup
• Powdered cardamon ¼ tsp
• Saffron few strands

Preparation Method:

• Mix all the ingredients to a smooth mixture and place in a bowl for neivedhyam.

MADHUPARKAM RECIPE:

Ingredients:

• Fruits -banana, pomegranate, guava, apple, grapes – 1Cup
• Jaggery powdered ¼ cup
• Grated coconut 2 tbsp
• Cardamom powder ¼ tsp

Preparation Method:

• Cut fruits into even-sized cubes. Remove the pomegranate arils.
• Place all ingredients in a bowl and gently mix. Place for neivedhyam.

VELLA AVAL RECIPE:

Ingredients: 

• Thick aval/beaten rice/poha 1 cup
• Jaggery powdered ½ cup
• Grated coconut ¼ cup
• Cardamom powder ½ tsp

Preparation Method:

• Wash the aval in fresh water. Drain. Combine all the ingredients and place in a bowl for neivedhyam.

VELLA CHEEDAI RECIPE:

Ingredients:

• Prepared/processed rice flour 1 cup
• Roasted Black gram powder 2 tsps
• Coconut slivers 2 tbsp
• Powdered jaggery ¾ th cup
• Butter 2 tsps
• Sesame seeds/til ½ tsp
• Cardamom powder ½ tsp
• Oil for frying

Preparation Method:

• Roast the rice flour till you can hold it between your fingers and drop them down like a kola ezhai or till light pink. Cool.
• Roast sesame seeds add to the rice flour. Add butter and mix well.
• Place the jaggery in a heavy-bottomed pan. Add 3/4th cup of water to a boil, add jaggery simmer and stir till jaggery dissolves.
• Add the cardamom and coconut Pieces. Switch off the flame. Add the rest of the ingredients and knead to a soft dough. Make small round balls. Place them on a white cloth and leave for 30 minutes before frying.
• Fry on medium heat with constant stirring till dark brown.

PULI THENKUZHAL RECIPE: