Smt. Jaishri Prabhakar Rao deserves congratulations for coming up with this exciting book which I am sure is bound to be a great success. Classic Cuisine and Celebrations of the Thanjavur Maharashtrians will expose a very large number of people to the hidden culinary delights of a very small, but very creative community the Thanjavur Maharashtrian Desastha Brahmins.
As the author herself says the Thanjavur Maharastrian Desastha Brahmins are a microscopic minority. In fact, they are a minority within a minority. The number of people who speak Marathi may be hardly three percent in Tamil Nadu. Among these, the Desastha Brahmins may not exceed even a lakh or two.
But this small minority is the inheritor of the beautiful confluence of two of the richest cultures of India, Maharashtra from the West and Tamil Nadu from the South.
How did this come about? For understanding this, we must take a quick glance at history.
Dramatic changes took place in the 17th century history of Tamil Nadu, when the Maharastrian ruler Ekoji, also known as Venkoji Bhonsle, the half-brother of Chatrapati Shivaji. replaced the last Nayaka rulers of Thanjavur. This led to nearly two centuries of Maharastrian rule in Thanjavur and some districts of Tamil Nadu.
This event took place at a time which was historically very significant and which has been recognized by many scholars of art, history, culture and religion, as a very happy development.
The Thanjavur rulers turned out to be great patrons of art and the Trinity of the Carnatic classical music flourished during the 18th and 19th century regime of the Thanjavur rulers. Not only these, but other art forms like Kathakalakshepam and Poikal Kudhirai were also introduced. The dance form of Bharatanatyam called Sadir particularly flourished during this period. In the area of cuisine with which this book deals so delightfully, it is a very important contribution so far as this community is concerned.
I consider myself blessed to be a part of this great heritage which is a beautiful confluence of two of the richest cultures of India, Maharashtra from the West and Tamil Nadu from the South.
The Thanjavur Maratha kingdom was founded in the 17th century by Venkoji Raje Bhonsale, half-brother of Chattrapathi Shivaji Maharaj. However, the actual migration of Maharashtrians took place during the reign of Serfoji 1 (1712 A.D to 1726 A.D). While the Kshatriyas among this community were called Marathas, the Brahmins were referred to as Desasthas. Three centuries later, this community has managed to retain its unique identity with reference to language, traditions, culture and food. Debates continue regarding the authenticity of the Thanjavur Marathi language.
The intonation and grammar of the spoken language in Maharashtra is much different. But the language still remains very close to what our ancestors used three centuries ago. Some archaic Marathi words have been replaced by Hindi/Persian in the language used in Maharashtra. For instance, Garsoli was originally used in Marathi to describe the mangalya or wedded symbol worn by a married lady. In most parts of Maharashtra, it is now referred to as mangalsutra. Kavaad, used earlier to denote door, is now darwaaza; Chopaala (swing), is now jhoola; Lugade (saree) is now better known as saadi, Maasoli (fish), is now machli; Khersoni (broomstick), is now jhaadu. These ancient words continue to be used by the Thanjavur Maharashtrian community. It is also observed that in parts of interior Maharashtra and Konkan regions, the spoken language is akin to the Thanjavur Marathi, rather than the language used across urban Maharashtra.
Padma Shri Awardee Dr. Ganesh Narayan Das Devy, founder director of the Bhasha Research and Publication Center, Vadodara, observes, "today, if you want to listen to the Marathi spoken in Shivaji Maharaj's court, you will have to go to Thanjavur." Dr. Devy, who led the People's Linguistic Survey of India in 2010, has researched and documented 780 Living Indian Languages. Among his many findings, he has inferred that the Marathi spoken by the descendants of the immigrant Maharashtrian settlers in Thanjavur is very akin to what was spoken in Maharashtra in the 17th century.
While we have imbibed the local customs and food habits of Tamil Nadu, we can pride ourselves on having enriched the local palette with our polis, methkoot, sambhar, vaangi bhath and rasa vaangi. Legends trace the origin of sambhar to the royal kitchens of the Thanjavur Maharashtrian Kingdom. Shahuji I Bhonsale had an important guest in Sambhaji. Amti, a popular Maharashtrian dish made with lentils and kokum is believed to have been a must serve at meal time. The Thanjavur royal kitchen on that day had run out of kokum. The locally available tamarind was ingenuously used to replace the kokum. Sambhar was thus born and named after the honourable guest Sambhaji. The diaspora also gradually adapted their cuisine to the available local ingredients.
For instance, copra (due to its availability in abundance) is used widely across Maharashtra for most preparations. Most temples in Maharashtra offer copra as naivedya during pujas.
In Tamil Nadu, coconut is offered as naivedya during pujas. The Thanjavur Maharashtrians began to substitute the copra in their preparations with grated coconut that was roasted along with other ingredients. The taste of copra was thus replicated. This is how pitla, rasa vaangi, vaangi bhath and other preparations have roasted coconut as one of the main ingredients.
Maharashtra's abhangs (bhajans); harikathas (musical discourses on deities and saints); gondhal (folk style narration of legends of Gods) and keertans (devotional songs) are an integral part of the rich Carnatic music and performing arts culture today.
Until two to three decades ago, most Desastha families observed the culinary and religious traditions of the community, in recent times however, this has been on the wane due to lifestyle constraints, ignorance and also lack of guidance from the elders. While the internet does provide abundant information on the festivals and food of this community, it is not always accurate or adequate.
Hindu (935)
Agriculture (118)
Ancient (1086)
Archaeology (753)
Architecture (563)
Art & Culture (910)
Biography (702)
Buddhist (544)
Cookery (167)
Emperor & Queen (565)
Islam (242)
Jainism (307)
Literary (896)
Mahatma Gandhi (372)
Send as free online greeting card
Email a Friend
Manage Wishlist