KANGRI DHAM

Dham is a traditional food festival celebrated in the Indian state of himachal pradesh. Dham serve , during marriage , local festival and special occasions of Himachal Pradesh . In temples , dham is given as prasad on most of the religious festivals. The tradition food includes kadi, rajmah , madra , khatta , paneer , chawal and at last everybody's favourite meethe chawal ( sweet rice ).                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

Introduction : 

Himachal Pradesh is a northern Indian state in the Himalayas. It's home to scenic mountain towns and resorts such as Dalhousie. This reflected in its Buddhist temples and monasteries. The region is also well known for its trekking , climbing and skiing areas. And Kangri Dham is the most famous food in Himachal Pradesh

 About the history of dham:

It is said that King Jaisthamba , one of the Kings of Chamba , was so fascinated by the Kashmiri food that he decided to recreate those dishes among Chamba locals and to offer it to their local Goddess . During that period , Chamba was famous for its spices , rajma and milk.

         

Preparation of Dham :

Firewood required for cooking food is called "samdah". And the people of the village are called a month before dham's actual date. In which , men cut the firewood and women cook food for them while singing folk songs .Dham is cooked by chefs whom we speak by special name "Botis" in Himachal pradesh. For many centuries , these botis have preserved the secret recipes of the dham and handed them to their younger generations. Even now , every village has a boti of its own , who cooks authentic dishes to be served as a dham during marriage , local festivals and community functons. Botis usually wear a dhoti and serve the whole dham in barefoot.

Cooking room ( Rasialu ) :

A temporary kitchen is usually built outside the main house with bamboo sticks as main pillar and steel sheets as walls and roof. Preparations for making the room are done one day in advance at night time. After finishing their work , all villagers come together and help botis in cutting vegetables. Almost every family in the village participates in their work. Then , the food is cooked in a long 4-5 feet trench with the help of firewood.The deep trench with fire is called "tiun" and it is also called by different name in different villages. Before preparing the dham , botis  worship the tiun and then start the cooking process. This classical method helps in destroying the harmful germs in the surrounding area of the kitchen.                                                                                                                                                                                     
                                                                                       

Method for cooking food : 

For cooking , a thick copper and brass vessels used , which are known as "Charoti" or "Batloi" with broad base and narrow opening. And iron cauldrons ( Kadhai ) are used for preparing Khatta. The thick base metal vessels are good conductor of heat and their narrow shape helps in keeping the food warm for long time. The food is then slow cooked on firewood , which imparts the dham a unique flavour. By relegious traditions , the food is served in leaf plates called pattals to people sitting in painth ( lines ) on the ground. The plates are made of dried leaves of banyan trees.     

           

 Some of the famous dhams in Himachal Pradesh :

Kangri dham , Chambyali dham , Mandyali dham and  Bilaspuri dham.