Even though Diwali is over, the excitement of this festival is still in the air. With the fresh autumnal start and the crisp sunlit days, people do not want the festive season to cease. The sweet cacophony of the crackers might not echo in your neighbourhood anymore, hence the urge to savour the last remnants of the festive spirit grows stronger.

While you might be crouching over your balcony, under the canopy of dimming fairy lights, an urge takes control over you, and you remember...

The untouched boxes of sweets...

Sweets are a part of a larger tradition of receiving and sharing festive joy. While this may be a nightmare for health enthusiasts, it is difficult to resist the urge to indulge in these delicacies during and after Diwali.

While soan papdi, kaju katli, ghee ladoo, and gulab jamun dominate the northern half of the country, a lesser-known delicacy from the south has been quietly earning its own sweet fame, the 'Mysore Pak'.

A recipe so simple, yet the best of the best ghee-laden Mysore Pak, can quickly grant you the dopamine rush, with its melt-in-the-mouth consistency, of the gram flour with ghee and sugar, infused with a unique aroma that gives the sweetmeat its flavour, while cooking it, or we can say, while making the 'Pak'.

The word 'Pak' or 'Paka' has roots in Sanskrit, meaning the ripening of something, cooking or a sweet concoction.

But how did it come to be called as Mysore Pak? Let's find out here

In 1935, the royal kitchen of Amba Vilas Palace in Mysore, under Maharaja Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV, was busy preparing a lavish lunch. The dessert, however, was missing.

Chief chef Kaksura Madappa, pressed for time, experimented with ghee, gram flour, and sugar, creating a syrup. By the time the king ate, it had set into a hot, fudge-like sweet.

It took no time for the king to realise the subtlety of such a sweet and inquired from Madappa what the sweet was, to which he responded that it was called 'Mysore Pak', named after the place where it was invented.

But let's know about how this sweet was democratised to all, despite being made only for the royal taste buds, and thanks to none other than the 'Mysore Royal Foodie', Maharaja Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV, who decided to make it available to the public as well.

Maharaja Krishnaraja Wodeyar, who ruled Mysore from 1902 to 1940, led the state to remarkable progress. Notable achievements included Asia’s first street lights in Bengaluru in 1905, alongside advancements in education and infrastructure.

In 1913, he made primary education mandatory for all, and by 1915, he ensured Dalit students could attend public schools, challenging caste norms despite resistance from upper castes.

Later, in 1936, the Maharaja invited marginalised communities to the Dasara festival, a historic first in nearly 400 years. He also opened government jobs to these groups.

During the British era’s attempts to divide communities, Krishnaraja Wodeyar promoted secular education and unity.

Hence, the Mysore Pak, too, becomes a part of the Raja's legacy of progress and inclusivity, through food and celebration.