The Most Unique Tradition of Paan ( Betel) Culture

Paan ( Betel): An Integral Part of Our Culture

image source: Pinterest

Every Odia family has a unique tradition of welcoming guests to their home by offering paan ( otherwise called betel, which is nothing but a kind of leaf enveloping a few slices of areca nuts, a drop of hydrated lime, clove, cinnamon etc . like different kinds of mouth freshening spices. The resulting blend is at times alluded to as betelnut. Chewing the mixture of betel leaf and areca nut was a tradition, custom or ritual in ancient Kalinga . Later on it  constituted an important and popular cultural activity in many Asian and Oceania countries as well. It is believed that the ancient maritime traders of Kalinga were taking these betel leaves and other accompaniments along with them  while going for maritime trading with different South and Southeast Asian countries. It isn’t known how and when the areca nut and the betel leaf were consolidated together into one psychoactive medication. These days, practically all betel chewers add tobacco and hydrated lime in the betel nut combination as this delivers the alkaloid of the nut.

Hydrated lime case

The betel (Piper betle) is the leaf of a vine having a place with the Piperaceae family, which incorporates pepper. Odia people are always hospitable and known for  taking care of the habits and tastes of all the guests  in their house.  Among them, taking care of the guest’s betel addiction always stays at the forefront. Among the most widely seen addictions in ancient India, it was ostensibly the best example. The mention of Paan( betel)  in the Mahabharata epic additionally demonstrates  that this tradition is very ancient.  Jambavati, the spouse of Dwarikanath Sri Krishna, was herself taking care of the tooth brushing  and betel prerequisites of Lord  Krishna every morning.

Dhokra betel box, i.s: Pinterest

image source: Indianshelf.com

image source: Pinterest

image source: Pinterest

Copper betel box

image source:Indianshelf.com

Dhokra betel box of Odisha

image source: Odisha E Store 

image source: Gopinath Pradhan

Different delightful boxes made of copper/silver were being utilized to contain various more modest boxes inside , containing hydrated lime, khair, gua( areca nuts) , spices , cloves, cardamom and several other things normally put in a paan. Metal boxes are utilized to hold the leaves and different ingredients important to gather a quid of betel. Notwithstanding little knickknack boxes, bigger boxes with little internal compartments are additionally used.In another holder, new leaves of betel were kept enveloped by a moist cotton cloth to safeguard it from the day’s dry air and hotness.

I.S: Leavenworth Nutcracker Museum

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image source: Zentner collection

One more significant component with the betel box was the “guacati” (or the areca nut cutter ) . The craftsmanship, made of different relics/artefacts was truly fascinating( photograph added) .All those betel boxes alongside the areca nut cutters were the proud possessions of Odia people of those times during traveling by horse-drawn carriages, bullock carts and so on.

Let me elaborate briefly  the requirements for betel farming .The betel plant needs a hot and sticky climate and watering plentily in regular intervals. .The humidity has to remain high.  The plant need not be subjected to direct Sunlight . So there lies the need for conceal covering( betel vines).  Pruning is expected as the stem develops multiple meters.

Betel leaf additionally helps in disposing of toxins in the stomach and furthermore mitigates constipation because of its high fiber content. As described in Ayurveda, betel leaves help in diminishing body fat and this aids in accelerating the course of weight reduction. Ideally tender betel leaves ( following a couple of days , the yellowing of betel leaves occur and that loses its restorative worth or medicinal value ) if  consumed in an empty stomach early in the morning successively for a couple of months, begins showing a significant weight. Chewing of Paan eradicates the pyorrhea problem which is caused by a bacterial infection that infects the gum and teeth .

Though excessive chewing of betel leaf along with areca nuts and tobacco may lead to oral cancer, consuming  just a single betel leaf a day  assists with flushing out the toxins that further reestablishes the typical pH levels of the stomach and subsequently, increments appetite.Chewing of paan  reddens the chewer’s lips and stains their teeth bright red.The hydrated  lime that is put on the betel leaves causes the secretion of extensive measures of red saliva.

Indeed, even today, Odisha supplies more than 50% of the betel leaves to the entire of India, and the uniqueness of the betel leaves of Odisha is notable all over India.

Dr. Manoj Mishra

lunarsecstasy@gmail.com