According to the Malayalam Adhyātma Rāmāyaṇam of Eẓuttacchan, King Daśaratha of Ayodhya performed Putrakāmeṣṭi Yajña as advised by sage Vasiṣṭha, and on completion of the yajña Agni appeared and gave the king a bowl of sweet Pāyasam to be given to his three queens for putralabdhi (for begetting sons). Adhyātma Rāmāyaṇam follows the original Sanskrit Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa so I presume the mention of Pāyasam is there in Vālmīki Rāmayaṇa also. Payas is milk in Sanskrit, and so Pāyasam must have been a milk based dessert. To this day we in Kerala make the yummy Pāl Pāyasam but it is sugar that is used as the sweetening agent. I suspect sugar was not there in the ancient days and hence jaggery (Gu.ḍ ग़ुड़) must have been the sweetening agent. We make Pāyasam sweetened with jaggery also, called Prathaman (പ്രഥമൻ प्रथमन्), but it is not Payas (milk) based; instead, we use coconut milk. Other ingredients can include Chana dal, Moong dal and aḍa (rice flakes).
What were the other sweets consumed as dessert in ancient India? I faintly remember a story in which a lady asks a king not to throw water on her and the king mistakes
it as a request for the sweet modakam.
So, modakam must have been an ancient Indian sweet.
Kerala Hindus prepare modakam to this day.
I believe laddoo too must have been an ancient Indian sweet dessert.
Regards,
Radhakrishna Warrier
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Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj Chair Professor, IIT-Madras.
Senior Fellow, ICSSR, New Delhi.
Academic Director, Swadeshi Indology.
Member, Academic Council, Veda Vijnana Shodha Samsthana.
Nominated Member, IIAS, Shimla.
Former Professor, CAHC, Jain University, Bangalore.Former Director, Karnataka Samskrit
University, Bangalore.
Former Head, Dept. of Sanskrit, The
National Colleges, Bangalore.
...सुधा चैव सुधा चैवामृतं तथा Mb.13.67.12. -13 Food in general. -14 Boiled rice. -15 Anything sweet, anything lovely or charming; a sweetmeat. यथामृतघटं दंशा मकरा इव चार्णवम् Rām.7.7.3. -16 Property. -17 Gold. -18 Quicksilver. -19 Poison. -20 The poison...
...of a tree (Mar. तालिमखाना.). -2 the काश grass. -वाटिका, -वाटी 1 a kind of sugar-cane (पुण्ड्रक). -2 a garden of sugar-canes. -विकारः 1 sugar, molasses. -2 any sweetmeat. -शाकटम्, -शाकिनम् a field fit...
उत्करिका utkarikā A sort of sweetmeat made with milk, treacle, and ghee.
नितान्तकठिनां रुजं मम न वेद सा मानसीम् V.2.11. -5 Giving pain. -नः A thicket. -ना 1 A sweetmeat made with refined sugar. -2 An earthen vessel for cooking; (n. also in this sense). -नी Chalk. See कठिनिका. -नम्...
कुण्डली kuṇḍalī, कुण्डलिका kuṇḍalikā A kind of sweetmeat (Mar. जिलेबी.)
...of a town. -रागः a kind of sweetmeat; भक्ष्यखाण्डवरागाणां क्रियतां भुज्यतां तथा Mb.14.89.41.
...Here is an illustration : उन्मीलन्मधुगन्धलुब्धमधुपव्याधूतचूताङ्कुरः क्रीडत्कोकिलकाकंलीकलकलैरुद्गीर्णकर्णज्वराः । नीयन्ते पथिकैः कथं कथमपि ध्यानावधानक्षणप्राप्तप्राणसमासमागमरसोल्लासैरमी वासराः ॥ अलंकारशेखर 6. -डम् Sweetmeats; भोजनानि सुपूर्णानि गौडानि च सहस्रशः Rām.1.53.4. -a. Relating to or prepared from molasses; विविधानि च गौडानि खाण्डवानि तथैव च Rām.7.92.12. -Comp. -पादः N. of a commentator...
...8. -पशुः a sacrificial victim represented by ghee; कुर्याद् घृतपशुं संगे Ms.5.37. -पूरः, -वरः a kind of sweetmeat; also ˚पूर्वकः, -पृच् a. accompanied with ghee; घृतेन द्यावापृथिवी अभीवृते घृतश्रिया घृतपृचा घृतावृधा Rv.6.70.4. -पृष्ठ
...sandal tree. -2 frankincense. -3 turpentine. -पर्णिका, -पर्णि (र्ण)कम् sandal-wood. -पिच्चटम् Sweetmeat of sesamum powder and sugar; L. D. B. -पिञ्जः, -पेजः barren sesamum. -पीडः an oilman; स्नेहेन तिलवत्सर्वं सर्गचक्रे निपीड्यते । तिलपीडैरिव
पललः palalaḥ A demon, goblin, an evil spirit. -लम् 1 Flesh. -2 Mire, mud. -3 A sweetmeat made of ground sesamum and sugar. -Comp. -आशयः swelled neck. -ज्वरः gall, bile. -प्रियः 1 a raven.
पिप्पटा pippaṭā, पिप्पडा pippaḍā 1 A kind of sweetmeat. -2Sugar.
प्रहेणकम् praheṇakam 1 A kind of pastry (पिष्टक). -2 Sweetmeats distributed at festivals.
प्रहेलकः prahelakaḥ 1 A kind of cake or sweetmeat. -2 A riddle; see प्रहेलिका below.
फेणी pheṇī, फेनिका phenikā f. A kind of sweetmeat; L. D. B.
बृंहण bṛṃhaṇa a. Fostering, nourishing. -णः A kind of sweetmeat. -णम् 1 Nourishing. -2 The roaring noise (of an elephant); रथ्याघोषैर्बृंहणैर्वारणानाम् Śi.18.3.
भुर्भुरिका bhurbhurikā, भुर्भुरी bhurbhurī A kind of sweetmeat or eatable.
-16 A kind of leprosy with round spots. -17 A kind of perfume. -18 A circular bandage (in surgery). -19 A sugar-ball, sweetmeat. -20 Sexual dalliance; नानाविचित्र- कृतमण्डलमावहन्तीम् Bil. Ch. (उत्तरपीठिका) 38. -21 A circular gait; हय इव मण्डलमाशु यः करोति Rām.6...
a kind of drink mixed with honey. -मल्लिः, -ल्ली f. the Mālatī creeper. -मस्तकम् a kind of sweetmeat made of honey, flour, oil, and ghee; मधुतैलघृतैर्मध्ये वेष्टिताः समिताश्च याः । मधुमस्तकमुद्दिष्टम् ..... Śabda-chandrikā. -माक्षिकम् = मधुधातु q. v. -माधवम्, -वौ...
मिष्ट miṣṭa a. [मिष्-क्त] 1 Sweet. -2 Dainty, savoury; किं मिष्टमन्नं खरसूकराणाम्; cf. 'why cast pearls before swine.' -3 Moistened, wetted. -ष्टम् 1 A sweetmeat. -2 A dainty or savoury dish. -ष्टा
-3 A kind of sea-bird. -4 A kind of weapon (मुद्गर); विरूपाक्षस्तु महता शूलमुद्गधनुष्मता Rām.6.37.14. -Comp. -पर्णी Phaseolus Trilobus (Mar. रानमूग). -मोदकः a kind of sweetmeat; Bhāva. P. -भुज्, -भोजिन् m. a horse.
मोदक modaka a. (-का, -की f.) [मोदयति-मुद् णिच् ण्वुल्] 1 Pleasing, delighting, gladdening. -2 Glad, delighted. -कः, -कम् 1 A sweetmeat in general; Y.1.289 (com. मोदकाः लड्डुकाः).
मौदक maudaka a. (-की f.) 1 Relating to sweetmeats. -2 Dealing in sweetmeats.
...of Rati, wife of Cupid. -लेखा a streak or mark of paint. -वर्धनः (in music) a kind of measure. -वृन्तः the god of love. -षाडवः a kind of sweetmeat. -सूत्रम् 1 any coloured thread. -2 a silk-thread. -3 the...
लड्डुः laḍḍuḥ, लड्डुकः laḍḍukaḥ A kind of sweetmeat (a round ball of sugar, wheat or rice-flour, ghee, and spices).
...or Śarat season. -आघोषः a frog. -आमदः a peacock. -उपलः 1 hail stone -2 a kind of sweetmeat ball; घनैरमीषां परिवेषकैर्जनैरवर्षि वर्षोपलगोलकावली N.16.100. -करः a cloud. (-री) a cricket. -कालः the rainy season.
वायनम् vāyanam, वायनकम् vāyanakam 1 A present of sweetmeats made to a deity, particularly to a Brāhmaṇa, on festive occasions; observance of fasts &c. -2 A kind of perfume.
...Up.2.4.8. -ध्वनिः the sound of a conch (sometimes, but erroneously, used to denote a cry of alarm or despair). -नखः a kind of aquatic animal, snail; लग्नैः शङ्खनखैः Mb.13.50.20. -पालः 1 an epithet of the sun. -2 a kind of sweetmeat (Mar...
षाडवः ṣāḍavaḥ 1 Passion, sentiment. -2 Singing, music. -3 (In music). A Rāga in which six of the seven primary notes are used; औडवः पञ्चभिः प्रोक्तः स्वरैः षड्भिस्तु षाडवः । -4 Confectionery, sweetmeats; Suśr.
संदेशः sandeśaḥ 1 Information, news, tidings. -2 A message, an errand; संदेशं मे हर धनपतिक्रोधविश्लेषितस्य Me.7,13; R.12.63; Ku.6.2. -3 Commission, command; अनुष्ठितो गुरोः संदेशः Ś.5. -4 A kind of sweetmeat. -Comp. -अर्थः
अनु॑गृहीताः स्मः शशिमहोदय!न चे॑तसि स्व॒रं रा॑जन्॒! “मोद॒कै” “र्मोद॑कै॒”—र्द्वयोः॑।
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अपूपः, अमृत, उत्करिका, कठिना, कुण्डलिका, खर्जूरिका, खाण्डवः , घृतपूरः/घृतवरः , तिलपिच्चटम्, पललः , पिप्पडा, प्रहेणकम्, प्रहेलकः, फेनिका, बृंहणः, भुर्भुरिका/भुर्भुरी, मण्ठः, मण्डल, मधुमस्तकम्, मिष्टम्, मुद्गमोदकः, मोदकः/मोदकम्, मोदकिका, लड्डुः/लड्डुकः, लोपिका, वर्षोपलः, वाचनकम्, विष्यंदनम् , शण्खपालः, संदानिका, संदेशः, सिंहकेसरः, सेविका
are the names of specific sweet dishes from the Apte dictionary.
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