Paan - Betal Lead - History and Traditions
Its been a tiring journey for me, traveling through the forts of Rajasthan, exploring the mysteries behind the gigantic walls that have served hundreds of centuries and dynasties. I finally decided to take some rest at a local shop. Guess what it used to sell? I hope you must have guessed it from our blog title.
Paan or Betel Leaf has been playing an important part in social life and customs for hundreds of years. In the courts of the Mogul kings and other medieval rulers, paan was chewed as a palate cleanser and a breath freshener. The betel leaf was offered as part of hospitality, friendship and love.
In the temple of Lord Venkatesa at Tirupati the butter from the forehead of Lord Venkatesa, wrapped inside a paan leaf, is given to devotees as a special blessing from the Lord.
Paan chewing tradition in Rajasthan
In Rajasthan, paan chewing is very popular, infact during a marriage, the bridegroom’s relative have dinner only after the bride’s relative serves a betel leaf to every one of the bridegroom’s relatives. This ceremony is known as Niyona.
In olden days wives offered betel leaf to their husbands to seduce them and to wean them away from the ‘Other Women’ after reciting the Vashikaran mantras 108 times. The witches (if there is anything like that) are supposed to have used paan for enslaving men.
The slogans in paan shops are sometimes very attractive. A slogan on a shop near my house read, ‘ Paan Labo Ki Shaan’ (Betel – the glory of lips).
The good thing about pan is that it could be offered to a guest at any time – before dinner, after dinner, in between meals, so it is always kept handy. The paan is also known by different names in Rajasthan like paan ki gilori, beeda etc. Paan is prepared in a different manner with a different kind of leaf in Rajasthan.
Paan is a digestive and seems to be very nice to chew after a spicy meal. It’s a soft leaf with betel nut and pastes and sometimes fruit that give a sweet little buzz.
In Rajasthan ‘saada’ pan has just a filling of cardamom, betel nut and cloves whereas Sweet paan is filled with dates, gulkand (rose petal and honey) and jellied fruit. These days mint and camphor (karpooram) are also added to the paan.
Some of the famous paan Wala’s in Jaipur
- Raghukul Paan Bhandar, Opp. Laxmi Mandir Cinema, Jaipur
- Murli Paan Bhandar, Tonk Road, Jaipur
- Prem Paan Bhandar, Ajmeri Gate, Jaipur
I suggest that you should also try it sometime when you plan a visit here. You will definitely relish the taste and the variety it offers to your tounge.
