Ram Navami & Panakam

    Rama Navami is a Hindu spring festival that celebrates the birthday of Rama, the seventh Avatar of the god Vishnu. Rama is particularly important in the Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism. The festival celebrates the descent of Vishnu as the Rama avatar, through his birth to King Dasharatha and Queen Kaushalya in Ayodhya. The festival is a part of the spring (Vasanta) Navratri, and falls on the ninth day of the bright half of Chaitra, the first month in the Hindu Calendar. This typically occurs in the Gregorian months of March or April every year. Rama Navami is an optional government holiday in India.

Story of Panakam 

    Panakam is offered to Lord Rama on his birthday which is celebrated as Ram Navami throughout India. As his birthday falls during Summer, his offerings were panakam, neer mor (buttermilk), kosumalli (refreshing mung dal salad) which are all suitable for the summer season.

    According to the Hindu calendar, there are six seasons and Ayurveda has a system in place for each season. These set of instructions also includes seasonal food habits. As we need to be hydrated during summer, natural coolants were used. One such summer drink is Panakam, an ancient lemonade made with jaggery water. Panaka in sanskrit means a sweet drink.

    Since ancient times, jaggery has been used as a natural sweetener in India. Also known as the medicinal sugar in the Indian food industry, it has considerbale healing properties and is highly regarded in Ayurveda. Jaggery is derived from the Portugese word Jagara which in turn is derived from the Sanskrit word Sarkara. Jaggery is nothing but an unrefined raw sugar which is either dark brown or golden in colour.

Recipe of Panakam

Ingredients

1 cup crushed or powdered jaggery refer notes

5 to 6 cups water

1/4 cup lime juice refer notes

5 to 6 cardamom pods, crushed

1 teaspoon dry ginger powder refer notes

1/8 teaspoon black peppercorns (optional)

A pinch of salt (optional)

Method 

1. Dissolve jaggery in 1 cup of water. Then strain the jaggery dissolved water to remove impurities. 
2. Coarsely crush the peppercorns and cardamom in a mortar pestle (along with the cardamom skin) or you can use powder instead. 
3. Add lime juice, crushed pepper and cardamom, dry ginger powder, salt and the remaining amount of water. 
4. Mix well and let it sit for 10 minutes. 
5. Serve chilled or at room temperature.