Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya (IGRMS), Bhopal, has displayed an exhibit showing a traditional technique and device of making Makhana (fox nut) with its basic information and photographs and videos on its social media platforms.
It is part of an online exhibition series-21, organised by the museum.
Director of the museum Praveen Kumar Mishra said that Bihar is known for the production of ‘Makhana’. Traditionally the work related to the preparation of ‘Makhana’ is carried out in Darbhanga, Sitamarhi, Purnia and Katihar district of the state.
The seed of ‘Makhana’, popularly known as 'Gudi' is an aquatic plant product cultivated in lakes, ponds and moist lands.
After collection, the 'Gudi' is dried in the sunlight.
Dried 'Gudi' seeds are then roasted in 'Lohiya' (Iron pan). The roasted hot seeds are then kept on a wooden log and beaten with a flat wooden hammer to prepare 'Makhana'.
Pritam Choudhary, Museum Associate said that the variety of traditional equipment and bamboo baskets of different shapes and sizes are used in this process. Ganj (Conical basket) is used for extracting the seeds from the water body, 'Aaka' (Cylindrical basket) is used for keeping the seeds and 'Delee' (cylindrical basket) is used to remove the peels of 'Makhana'.
'Lohiya' (Iron Cauldron) is used to heat the dried seeds, 'Pitna' (Flat wooden hammer) is used as a hammer for beating the hot seeds on 'Pirkat' (wooden log), 'Lakhraiya' (Turtle shell) is used as a spoon during the heating process of seeds, and a sieve is used as a filter to distribute the 'Makhana' product according to their different sizes.
