BERHAMPUR: With people across Berhampur celebrating Dhanu Sankranti, sweetmeat shops in the town are busy preparing and selling ‘Dhanu Muan’, an integral part of the rituals observed during the Odia month of Pausa. People thronged several temples and offered ‘muan’ as ‘bhog’ to the deities on Monday.
A speciality of Ganjam, an average one tonne of ‘muan’ is prepared in Berhampur every day during the period between Dhanu Sankranti and Makar Sankranti. Hundreds of sweetmeat makers are engaged by shops for preparing ‘muan’ which is not just sold in various parts of the State but also exported.
Though there is no written history about origin of ‘muan’, historians believe the sweet was prepared in Ganajm district for ritualistic offering to the deity on Dhanu Sankranti. But it was prepared with jaggery in the past.
Today, however, the traditional sweet has undergone a change in taste and looks. While jaggery has been replaced with sugar, ghee instead of oil is used to prepare the delicacy. To add to the flavours, coconut chunks, cherries and cashew nuts are added.
“Muan is available in Berhampur throughout the year but its demand increases manifold during December and January. With the increasing price of sugar, cashew nuts and other ingredients, the price of muan has also gone up but people are not bothered by it. All they want is good quality muan”, said Samar Dash, owner of New Calcutta Sweets.
According to Radheshyam Sahoo, owner of Harapriya Misthan Bhandhar in the city, the price of ordinary ‘muan’ with groundnuts costs `180 to `200 per kg while those prepared with desi ghee, cherry and cashewnuts cost `240 to `300 per kg. Another variety prepared with almonds sells at `430 to `460 per kg.