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| Palani Panchamirtham prasadam.thehindu.com |
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| Palani Panchamirtham prasadam..thehindubusinessline.com |
Palani Dhandayathapani temple on the small hill is one of the six abodes of God Muruga (Karthikaya) that has been a popular place of pilgrimage for the Hindus for several decades. The very name Palani (or Pazhani) conjures up two things - the temple atop the hillock with a vista of picturesque majestic tall Kodikanal hills with bluish mist and hugging clouds at a far distance, and coconut groves and paddy fields on the plains; the other thing being the mouth-watering temple prasadam ''Panchmirtham''. It is so popular in this area that on a visit to Palani you have to buy a couple of kgs in packs to be given to your relatives or friends back home. who go crazy about it.
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| Location map. .Palani,Tamil Nadu. city.com |
The good news is the famous Panchamritham, an offering of the Palani temple, had been granted the Geographical Identity (GI) in the recent past. Thus this temple takes the credit of being the first one from Tamil Nadu to have been conferred with the GI tag. The advantage is once the GI protection is granted, no other producer can misuse the name to market similar products.
Normally, in most of the Hindu temples as part of worship Prasadam - food offering to the god is offered to devotees who come there to mitigate their worries and fulfil their wishes. Invariably, Hindus, being pious, take refuge in God to confront problems over which they have no control. Taking the blessed food on the temple premises gives them a sense of direction, hope and happiness. There are temple famous for paticular prasadam. For example Thirupati Balaji temple where ''Laddu'' is a famous prasadam. Pachamirtham is almost synonymous with Palani Murugan temple for decades.
Carefully prepared with 5 natural substances - banana, jaggery (country sugar), cow ghee, forest honey and cardamom in the right proportion, panchamirtham is an important ‘abhishega prasadam’ - a religious offering to the main deity God Subramanya and is served in a semi-solid state. It is sweet in taste and one of the main offerings for Lord on the hill.
Getting a geographical tag is not that easy and the Central Research Institute of Food Technology ( CFTRI) in Mysore, a government of India undertaking, had monitored the quality of Panchamritham for a particular period. Apart from quality ingredients, the food should be prepared hygienically and should have specific shelf-life.
GI tag used on on products implies that have a specific geographical origin and possess qualities or a name that are due to that origin. It conveys an assurance of quality and distinctiveness which is essentially attributable to its origin in that defined geographical locality. The tag bestowed upon an Indian product establishes that product as belonging exclusively to a particular region or territory.
As per the World Trade Organisation agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS), the criterion for applying for a GI tag is that the product must possess “a given quality, reputation, or any other characteristic that is attributable to its geographical location.''
Why does Palani panchamirtham prasadam stand apart from other temples' prasadams? Because it is prepared in a natural method without adding any preservatives or artificial ingredients or even color to enhance its look. Its flavor and look are unique. Yet another fact is not even a single drop of water is added during the preparation and his gives it its classic semi-solid consistency and taste.
The entire preparation and production of panchamirtham is automated. So, the aspects of hygiene are well maintained. Devotees can get the prasadam in the hill temple as well as in stalls run by temple administration at Adivaram- at the base of the hill.
The application for the GI tag was made in the past by the Joint Commissioner/Executive Officer, of Sri Dhandayuthapani Swamy Thirukkoil, Adivaram, Palani. Chinnaraja G. Naidu, Deputy Registrar of Geographical Indications, confirmed that the GI tag had been given for the panchamirtham and it was posted on the GI website. As per the GI application, the geographical area for production of panchamirtham is Palani town in Dindigul district, Tamil Nadu.
The move is expected to help producers get maximum price for their premium produce and safeguard them. The two other products that received the tag include Tawlhlohpuan and Mizo Puanchei from Mizoram.
https://www.thehindu.ctag/article29089343.ece
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