Thekua or khajur as it is known in Uttar Pradesh is a traditional deep - fried sweet offered as prasad during Chhath Puja, Saraswati Puja and Navaratri. Though the dish originated in Bihar, it is now hugely popular in Jharkhand and eastern Uttar Pradesh. Thekua is made from wheat, jaggery or sugar, desi ghee, spices and nuts. It has a... Continue Reading →
A delicious milk sweet of Kashi that has been served as prasad in most of the temples for centuries is the humble doodh peda. Made from full fat milk that is in abundance in Varanasi and Ghazipur districts and areas around the Ganga River, this simple milk innovation is hugely popular among locals and visitors and makes... Continue Reading →
Kashi's most iconic milk sweet is the centuries-old Lal Peda that has been praised to the hilt by travellers, food connoisseurs and historians. This traditional dairy product of Kashi is offered as prasad in the Kaal Bhairav Temple, Kashi Vishwanath Temple and Sankat Mochan Hanuman Temple. In the olden days, the abundance of milk in the... Continue Reading →
One of the most iconic and celebrated sweets of Kashi is Tirangi Barfi. Also known as Rashtriya Barfi, this unique creation is the handiwork of Shri Raghunath Das Gupta of Shree Ram Bhandar in Thatheri Bazar. The British from the late 1700s right up to the mid - 1940s had managed to successfully loot the ancient... Continue Reading →
One of the best chaats of Varanasi is its very own stuffed aloo tikki served at Kashi Chat Bhandar. This delicious chaat is unbelievably flavoursome with a bit of everything - crunch, spice and wholesomeness. Potatoes are first boiled and divided into two portions. One portion is grated when hot and mixed together with... Continue Reading →
The traditional breakfast of the ancient city of Kashi is the piping hot puri sabzi, kachori and droolworthy jalebi! Interestingly, the lightly spiced raswale aloo sabzi with greasy puris followed by kachori served with chana, meethi chutney and hari chutney and topped off with sinfully sweet jalebis (normal serving is four in a plate) really hits the spot! The batter is made by... Continue Reading →
Dahi bhalla with an overwhelming flavour of bada elaichi and adarak is a delightful innovation of Kashi. Also known as dahi pakodi or dahi vada or dahi gujiya, this vada made from urad dal makes its appearance in almost all festivals and celebrations. A certain measure of urad dal (sometimes moong dal) is rinsed and soaked overnight. It... Continue Reading →
Prayagraj lassi, an irresistible combination of creamy goodness and delicious richness is a signature dessert of the holy city. This lassi is deemed to be on par with the legendary Banarasi lassi in terms of taste, quality and ingenuity. In fact, only a true Banarasi or Prayagrajvaasi can correctly identify the subtle differences in the preparation of... Continue Reading →
Prayagraj biryani, rated second-best in India after your grandmother's is an integral component of one's daily diet in the holy city. This traditional delicacy of India is a complex dish of wholesome delicious and flavoursome goodness. Biryani is still prepared in the age-old method of slow cooking with almost all the ingredients procured locally. It... Continue Reading →
A hugely popular street food of Prayagraj and pretty much the whole of North India is the deliciously creamy dahi bhalla. Also known as dahi pakodi or dahi vada or dahi gujiya, this vada made from urad dal makes its appearance in almost all festivals and celebrations. It is perhaps the excellent quality milk and curd of Prayagraj... Continue Reading →
A droolworthy Prayagraj delicacy that is commonly had as breakfast is dahi jalebi! Yes, dahi jalebi in Prayagraj is more of a breakfast item than a dessert or a snack and is relished by locals and visitors. Interestingly, dahi jalebi, jalebi rabri, imarti rabri, imarti dahi and plain jalebi or plain imarti are hugely popular breakfast items not only in Prayagraj but... Continue Reading →
A truly finger-licking dish of Uttar Pradesh is the iconic Prayagraj dum aloo that is served at breakfast with crispy samosas, paratha, khasta or rice. Dum aloo is a flavoursome curry made with whole baby potatoes (aloo means potato in Hindi). There are typically two ways to make this quick dish. First, the baby potatoes are cooked, peeled carefully... Continue Reading →
Commonly known as a poor man's sweet, the humble petha is one of the most popular and iconic sweets of Uttar Pradesh. Though petha is generally associated with Agra (Agra Petha), the angoori petha of Prayagraj is equally famous and delicious. The residents of Prayagraj have for long been accorded the status of being the biggest food... Continue Reading →
Uttar Pradesh is a food lover's haven with each and every district and town offering a variety of local delicacies that are simply divine. The quality of food in this state is unbelievably high and everyone you meet will be able to dish out his or her ancestral recipes with utmost ease. The holy... Continue Reading →
All gastronomical roads in Prayagraj lead to Dehati Rasgulla in Old Bairhana to sample their delicious dehati ke rasgulle. Dehati ke rasgulle are known as gulab jamuns in the rest of India while the white rasgulla is called chhena here. According to the locals, Baba Ram Sevak Yadav began making and selling his dehati rasgulle in his... Continue Reading →
The sacrosanct tirthasthala of Shukratal now known as Shukrateerth (Shukratirth) is one of the most picturesque places located on the course of the downstream Ganga. This beautiful place full of ancient temples, bathing ghats and wells is truly a spiritual treasure trove for the followers of Sanatana and Advaita. This divine place derives its name from the... Continue Reading →
Veni Madhav Mandir located at Daranganj close to the sacrosanct Triveni Sangam is one of the oldest shrines dedicated to Lord Vishnu in Prayag. This is one of the Dwadasha Madhav Temples of this historical city. This ancient temple dedicated to Lord Krishna and Lakshmi Devi has been mentioned in the Matsya Purana, Agni Purana and Padma Purana... Continue Reading →
Bade Hanuman Ji or Lete Hanuman Ji, as the name suggests is a magnificent shrine of Lord Hanuman in a rare supine position. Located about 500 m north of the Allahabad Fort close to the Triveni Sangam, this massive idol of Lord Hanuman is one of the oldest in Prayag. Bade Hanuman Ji is... Continue Reading →
Akhanda Bharat has many stunning gems in its bosom but the crown jewel is undoubtedly the ancient Patalpuri Temple and the extraordinary Akshayavata. Akshayavata is derived from the Sanskrit words akshaya meaning eternal or imperishable or indestructible and vata meaning banyan or sacred fig and therefore, literally translates to the eternal banyan (fig). According to the Hindu scriptures,... Continue Reading →
Someshwar Mahadev Mandir (also known as Someshwar Nath Mandir) situated across the holy Yamuna River in Arail village is one of the eight important tirthsthalas of Prayagraj. This sacrosanct temple finds mention in the Padma Purana and Shiva Purana and is worshipped by all the devotees who participate in the Kumbha, Ardha Kumbha and Magha Mela. According to the... Continue Reading →
Takshakeshwar Nath Mandir situated on the bank of the Yamuna River is one of the oldest temples in Prayagraj. The temple is believed to be at least 5000 years old if not more and historical and archaeological evidence found at the site suggests that this temple has been in existence since the ancient times. ... Continue Reading →
Samudra Koop that literally translates to ocean well is one of the most sacrosanct tirths of Prayagraj. Located in the archaeologically important town of Jhusi, this ancient well was established during the reign of the Chandravamsa dynasty (Lunar dynasty) roughly around 7100 BCE. Jhusi used to be known as Pratisthan Pur during the reign of... Continue Reading →
Nag Vasuki, an ancient temple located on the bank of the holy Ganges to the north of the sacrosanct Triveni Sangam draws lakhs of devotees on the auspicious Kumbh, Ardha Kumba, Magha Mela, Naga Panchami and the month of Shravan. A trip to Prayagraj is deemed complete and successful only if a pilgrim has a dip in the... Continue Reading →
The ancient city of Prayagraj is revered for its spiritual potency, deep connection to Maryada Purushottam Rama and the Ramayana and the repository of knowledge and wisdom, Bharadwaja Brahmarshi. Bharadwaja Brahmarshi, one of the Sapta Rishis of Kali Yuga (the others are Kasyapa, Atri, Vishwamitra, Gautama, Jamadagni and Vashistha) is venerated by scholars and those well-versed in the... Continue Reading →
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