Madhupayasa

Madhupayasa is the Pali term for honey-infused kheer or payasa, a rice pudding dish dating back to Ancient India.

The dish is served in Thailand, where it arrived from India. In Thailand, people used to make small sticky rice balls for worship. The flavor and ingredients of these influenced Thai versions of madhupayasa, which is now used in many Buddhist ceremonies.

Origin story

Sujata, a daughter of wealthy family, prayed to a Banyan Tree for a baby boy to be her family's heir. After her prayer was granted, she gave thanks by returning to the tree with an offering of madhupayasa. Lord Buddha, then in his ascetic period, was meditating under the tree and fainting from starvation. She gave him the food and he recovered, beginning to focus on moderation rather than extreme austerities. This story may have originated before the Buddhist Era (566 BCE) and become attached to the story of the Buddha.

Use in Thai Buddhism

Madhupayasa use in Thailand started around the period of the Ayutthaya Kingdom (1351 – 1767 CE), and in the early Rattanakosin period (1782 CE). The ingredients used have changed many times. There are possibly more than 60 types of the pudding, made with different ingredients such as fruits, taro, potato, etc.

A Phra-Song (Thai Buddhist monk) must make the ceremonial offering. After the end of the ceremony, the puddings are given to monks and to other temples nearby, or can be eaten for both luck and fortune.[1][2][3][4][5][6]

References
  1. "Phuttha". 2010.
  2. "Madchima".
  3. "Library and Information Technology University Thepsatri".
  4. "Sujata's great gift of madhupayasa". Hindustan Times. 24 January 2012. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  5. Swearer, Donald K. (2004). Becoming the Buddha : the ritual of image consecration in Thailand. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press. p. 102. ISBN 9780691114354.
  6. Mitra, Rajendralala (2005). Buddha Gaya : the hermitage of Sakya Muni. New Delhi: Aditya Prakashan. p. 208. ISBN 8177420623.
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