Navadhanya

Navdhānya or Navadhaniyam refers to nine food grains namely wheat, paddy, pigeon pea, hyacinth bean, chickpea, mung bean, sesame, black gram and horse gram.^[1][2] Navdhānya means "nine grains" in several Indian languages and form an essential part of Indian cuisine.^[3]

Hindu theology

In Hindu cosmology, Navdhānya are considered to represent the Navagraha (nine planets).^[4] The grains represent the following nodes:^[5]

Navagrahas:

No.	Image	Name	Western equivalent	Day	Food grain
1.		Surya	Sun	Sunday	Wheat
2.		Chandra	Moon	Monday	Paddy
3.		Mangala	Mars	Tuesday	Chickpea
4.		Budha	Mercury	Wednesday	Mung bean
5.		Bṛhaspati	Jupiter	Thursday	Bengal gram
6.		Shukra	Venus	Friday	White bean
7.		Shani	Saturn	Saturday	Black sesame
8.		Rahu	Ascending node of the Moon		Black gram
9.		Ketu	Descending node of the Moon		Horse gram

Worship and rituals

It is customary for Hindus to use Navdanya during certain rituals and auspicious events.^[6][7] During traditional Hindu initiation ceremonies such as Upanayana that marks the acceptance of a student by a preceptor and Vidyāraṃbhaṃ that is performed before a child begins their formal education involve the offering of navdhanya.^[8] During festivals such as Saraswati Puja, a new scroll and writing equipment are placed on the navdhanya.^[9]

In Mariamman worship in South India, the sprouts of these food grains, traditionally known as mullaipaari forms an important part of festivals and rituals.^[10] The seeds are grown on temporary trays or pots and are either allowed to sprout in the temple or carried to the temples after sprouting. If the seeds sprout healthily, it is considered as a good sign and an indication of an upcoming good harvest.^[11]