Palani panchamirtham, the first temple prasadam to bag the GI tag 

The panchamirtham given at Sri Dhandayuthapani Swamy Temple at Palani in Dindigul district is a crowd favourite. It was the first temple prasadam in the State to have bagged the Geographical Indication (GI) tag in 2019

There are a wide range of temple cuisines, but what holds a dear place in the hearts of most people is the temple prasadam. The panchamirtham given at Sri Dhandayuthapani Swamy Temple at Palani in Dindigul district is a crowd favourite. It was the first temple prasadam in the State to have bagged the Geographical Indication (GI) tag in 2019.

The secret of this unique taste in every batch lies in blending the five main ingredients — banana, country-sugar, ghee, honey and cardamom — in the precise ratio, says S. Satish, superintendent at the temple kitchen at Adivaram. The current kitchen where the prasadam is made was established in 2008 and expanded in 2010.

It is an ‘abhishega prasadam’: the religious food offering made to the presiding deity, Lord Dhandayuthapani Swamy. Every day, around 500 grams of panchamirtham is used in the abhishegam to the Utchavar (the processional deity).

According to the application for obtaining the GI tag, panchamirtham came into being in the 9th Century AD when Chera king Cheraman Peruman established the temple. References to the prasadam were found even in the pieces of Tamil literature such as Nakkeerar’s Thirumurugattrupadai and Arunagirinathar’s Thiruppugazh and in songs written by Pamban Swamigal.

Legend says hill banana and honey, which are found in abundance in the mountainous region near Palani and which were offered by devotees, were used to make the prasadam.

To make a set, comprising 1,020 pet jars and 1,060 aluminium cans of panchamirtham, the kitchen needs 288 kg of country-sugar, 152 kg of peeled banana, 6 kg of ghee, 2 kg of honey and 0.50 kg of cardamom as well as 25 kg of dates and 15 kg of diamond sugar candy. One of the primary ingredients, country-sugar, also called ‘ naatu sakkarai’, is procured every week from the regulated market at Kavindapadi in Erode district. The Devasthanam had procured from this market for over 25 years; the purchase resumed after a gap of six years in 2020.

“The country-sugar from Kavindapadi is unmatchable in taste and quality. A professor from the Department of Chemistry at Arulmigu Palani Dhandayuthapani Swamy Arts and Science College for Women, armed with testing equipment, accompanies senior temple kitchen cooks and staff members, who purchase the best lot from the sugar cane farmers,” explains Mr. Murugan.