{"id":9635,"date":"2021-10-12T13:19:54","date_gmt":"2021-10-12T13:19:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/hindi\/?p=9635"},"modified":"2021-10-12T16:36:07","modified_gmt":"2021-10-12T16:36:07","slug":"what-is-the-manasollasa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/hindi\/what-is-the-manasollasa\/","title":{"rendered":"What is the Manasollasa?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Jalebis by Nicole Herbert Dean<\/p><\/div>\n

Have you ever wondered what medieval \u092e\u0927\u094d\u092f\u092f\u0941\u0917\u0940\u0928 kings ate? Some movies depict large abundantly filled tables with fruit, goblets \u092a\u094d\u092f\u093e\u0932\u093e, massive roasted meat \u092d\u0941\u0928\u093e \u0939\u0941\u0906 \u092e\u093e\u0902\u0938, etc. But seriously, what did they eat?<\/p>\n

During the research on Malik Ambar’s life, I thought about what people in the Deccan Plateau \u0926\u0915\u094d\u0915\u0928 \u0915\u093e \u092a\u0920\u093e\u0930, at that time ate. My search led me down a rabbit hole of discovery!<\/p>\n

Where is the Deccan Plateau?<\/h2>\n

The Deccan Plateau was the backdrop to the story of Malik Ambar<\/a>. This plateau is situated about halfway down the middle to the western coastline \u0938\u092e\u0941\u0926\u094d\u0930 \u0924\u091f of India. It mainly encompasses the states of Maharashtra and Karnata. The Chalukya dynasty ruled over a large part of the Indian peninsula \u092a\u094d\u0930\u093e\u092f\u0926\u094d\u0935\u0940\u092a. The capital was in Kalyani and its king was King Bhulokamalla Someshvara III. This king was intent on providing a lasting legacy \u0935\u093f\u0930\u093e\u0938\u0924 to his subjects and the generations after him.<\/p>\n

Scribes and Ancient Texts<\/h2>\n

Manasollasa<\/a> means, ‘happiness of mind’.\u00a0 Scribes wrote this ancient text \u092a\u094d\u0930\u093e\u091a\u0940\u0928 \u092a\u093e\u0920 in the courts of King Someshvara III around the 12 century.\u00a0 This king was a poet and not a warrior, like his predecessors. He encouraged literature and poetry and thanks to him we have this incredible text.\u00a0 The Manasollasa is essentially a guide of over 100 chapters on all things kingly. The topics range from where to live during the four seasons, to how to serve a king.<\/p>\n

It is also the oldest known textbook of Indian cooking and recipes, with over 20 chapters devoted solely to cuisine\u092d\u094b\u091c\u0928.<\/p>\n

Recipe Poems<\/h2>\n

Poems usually describe life or romance \u092a\u094d\u0930\u0923\u092f. But, imagine learning how to cook something solely \u0915\u0947\u0935\u0932 by reading poetry? Well, this is what the Manasollasa is – a text written almost entirely in verse. According to food historian, Mary Ellen Snodgrass, this book predates the medieval cookbooks \u0930\u0938\u094b\u0908 \u0915\u0940 \u0915\u093f\u0924\u093e\u092c found in Europe by a century. This makes it possibly the oldest cookbook in the world. It is the first text that details cooking instructions and ingredients. Currently, people use a modified \u0938\u0902\u0936\u094b\u0927\u093f\u0924 version of many of the recipes. For example, iddrikas are similar to idlis which are a staple South Indian dish. Gharika which is a sweet fried cake is similar to jalebis which grace many Indian dessert tables.<\/p>\n

5 sections<\/h2>\n

The book is divided into 5 sections: Rajyapraptikarana – qualifications needed to be king, Rajyasya Sthairyakarana – politics \u0930\u093e\u091c\u0928\u0940\u0924\u093f and governance, Bhartur Upabhogakarana – food, Pramoda Karana – entertainment \u092e\u0928\u094b\u0930\u0902\u091c\u0928, Krida Vimsati – games and recreation.<\/p>\n

Vastu<\/h2>\n

It looks like the practice of vastu which is similar to Feng Shui, originated during this time too. The Manasollasa outlines the direction in which the king was supposed to sit and face. Facing east \u092a\u0942\u0930\u094d\u0935 secures a long life, while west \u092a\u0936\u094d\u091a\u093f\u092e, wealth. Facing north\u0909\u0924\u094d\u0924\u0930 meant good health and facing south \u0926\u0915\u094d\u0937\u093f\u0923 guaranteed a comfortable life.<\/p>\n

Detailed instructions<\/h2>\n

As with many ancient texts such as the Torah, the instructions carry much detail. Every aspect of life, how to eat, what to eat, and where to sit leaves no one in doubt.\u00a0 It seems that these practices brought about some order and predictability to life in those days.<\/p>\n

Looking back to going forward<\/h2>\n

It is imperative such ancient texts like the Manasollasa be preserved in order to provide future generations a frame of reference. By looking back at our past and understanding practices in ancient cultures and society, we have a blueprint to go forward. This enables us to improve our diet and lifestyle. It also helps us not make the same mistakes while going forward.<\/p>\n

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 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"\"

Have you ever wondered what medieval \u092e\u0927\u094d\u092f\u092f\u0941\u0917\u0940\u0928 kings ate? Some movies depict large abundantly filled tables with fruit, goblets \u092a\u094d\u092f\u093e\u0932\u093e, massive roasted meat \u092d\u0941\u0928\u093e \u0939\u0941\u0906 \u092e\u093e\u0902\u0938, etc. But seriously, what did they eat? During the research on Malik Ambar’s life, I thought about what people in the Deccan Plateau \u0926\u0915\u094d\u0915\u0928 \u0915\u093e \u092a\u0920\u093e\u0930, at that time…<\/p>\n

Continue Reading<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":176,"featured_media":9636,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":""},"categories":[70],"tags":[51428,50062,3848,556382],"class_list":["post-9635","post","type-post","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-food","tag-ancient-indian","tag-indian-cuisine","tag-indian-food","tag-lifestyle"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/hindi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9635","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/hindi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/hindi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/hindi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/176"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/hindi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9635"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/hindi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9635\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9644,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/hindi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9635\/revisions\/9644"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/hindi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9636"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/hindi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9635"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/hindi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9635"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/hindi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9635"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}