Bikaner is synonymous with sweets, bhujia and the famous accompaniment to every Marwari household meal, the papad made from varieties of flours and pulses. My family and I used to visit the city to meet my grandparents and extended family during summer vacations or to attend weddings and festivals.
Uncles and aunts will invite us and serve elaborate meals prepared at home with some sweets bought from outside, such as Rajbhog, the saffron-flavoured variety of the rasgulla, katlis made from almonds or cashews, Dilkushar, Moti Paak, sweets best served cold such as Ganderi or other milk-made sweets such as sandesh or chena murki.
Often during our stay, we would visit the temples of our ancestral deities and offer prasad of puffed rice, coconut, and sweets such as pedas or boondi or ladoos to the deity. We were made to finish the prasad within the premises of the temple by our elders, to which we only happily obliged.
