Bhang (, ; ; ; ) is a preparation from the leaves and flowers (buds) of the female cannabis plant, smoked or consumed as a beverage in the Indian subcontinent.
''Bhang Ki Thandai'' (Hindi) also known as ''Shardai'' is a drink popular in many parts of India which is made by mixing bhang with thandai, a cold beverage prepared with almonds, spices (mainly black pepper), milk and sugar.
Sadhus and Sufis use Bhang to boost meditation and to achieve transcendental states. Bhang or cannabis is also used amongst Sufis as an aid to spiritual ecstasy.
The nihang sect of the Sikh community are one of the consumers of bhang and in their terminology, it is called Sukhnidhan.It started as an ayurvedic medicine wherein, the main use for the Nihangs was to aid in reducing pain from battle wounds, and digestive assistant. However, today abuse of bhang has become an addiction among the Nihangs. and one of major problems encountered by the Sikh religion.
Bhang is heavily consumed in Mathura, an ancient town of religious importance to the Hindus. Here the practice is believed to have been introduced by the followers of Lord Krishna and has stayed over since. The Choubey community or the Chaturvedi's of Mathura, Tripathi's of Gorakhpur, Aroras of Haridwar, Sinhas of Patna, Nichanis of Chennai, Naharwaras of Delhi, Maheshwaris of Jaipur, Mittals of Bathinda and Sharmas of Agra have a long history of consuming Bhang on a daily basis. They begin the preparation by Sanskrit chants and recitation of prayers to Lord Shiva. Some people from Mathura take Bhang to work up their appetite while others do it to relieve themselves of stress. But the hub of bhang use is Varanasi or Banaras, the Land of Shiva, where the bhang is prepared on its famous ghats.
Anywhere on the ghats, one can find large number of men engaged in the process of preparing bhang. Using mortar and pestle, the buds and leaves of cannabis are ground into a green paste. To this mixture milk, ghee and spices are added. The bhang base is now ready to be made into a heavy drink, ''thandai'', an alternative to alcohol; this is often referred to casually, if inaccurately, as a "bhang lassi" (lassi being a better-known and similar drink). Bhang is also mixed with ghee and sugar to make a green halva, and into peppery, chewy little balls called 'golee' (which in this context means candy or pill in Hindi).
It is associated with Lord Shiva, as the cannabis plant is regarded as holy by Hindus.
In some sections of rural India, people believe in the medicinal properties of the cannabis plant. If taken in proper quantity, bhang is believed to cure fever, dysentery and sunstroke, to clear phlegm, quicken digestion, appetite, cure speech imperfections and lisping, give alertness to the body.
In Nepal, on the day of Hindu festival Maha Shivaratri, bhang is taken in different forms such as smoke, mixed with sweets and drink. Offering bhang to lord Shiva is a common practice during the festival.
Category:Cannabis Category:Uttar Pradeshi cuisine Category:Indian beverages
de:Bhang es:Bhang hi:भांग sw:Bangi la:Bhang pl:Bhang pt:Bhang ru:Бханг sv:Bhang uk:Бганґ ur:بھنگThis text is licensed under the Creative Commons CC-BY-SA License. This text was originally published on Wikipedia and was developed by the Wikipedia community.
Coordinates | 23°33′″N46°38′″N |
---|---|
name | Prahlad Singh Tipaniya |
background | solo_singer |
alias | Prahladji |
genre | folk |
occupation | Singer |
years active | 1978 – present |
website | http://www.kabirproject.org |
Footnotes | }} |
He has toured in the UK and the United States, as well as in India, and his music has been played on All India Radio stations in Indore, Bhopal, Jabalpur, Patna, Lucknow and Kanpur. Tipanya has received several awards including the Padma Shri in 2011.
Category:Living people Category:Recipients of the Padma Shri Category:Indian folk singers
This text is licensed under the Creative Commons CC-BY-SA License. This text was originally published on Wikipedia and was developed by the Wikipedia community.
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