The legend of Naogaon’s Pera Sandesh
The sweet has secured a place in the hearts of food lovers because of its unique taste
The fame of Naogaon'sPera Sandesh, a special variety of sweetmeat made using milk and sugar, has already crossed the border as people from different corners of the country send it to their relatives and dear ones living abroad to help them taste the local delicacy.
The sweet has secured a place in the hearts of food lovers, even more so those who are fond of sweets, because of its unique taste.
Even though Pera Sandesh is found in almost all the districts of the country, it is believed that it was first introduced in Naogaon.
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The genesis of Pera Sandesh, however, goes back to more than a hundred years ago.
Ataul Haque Siddiqui, poet, researcher, and academic, said, "The Hindu community performs various pujas throughout the year. Sweets are needed in the worship of the goddess. Hundreds of years ago, there were small sweet shops in the Kalitala area of the city. The worshipers used to buy sweets from these shops."
At first, Pera Sandesh was made for offerings to Hindu goddesses, but later became popular among people of all religions, he said.
Advocate DM Abdul Bari, president of EkusheyParishadNaogaon, a local social organisation, said, "Pera Sandesh is a traditional item of the district. It is our heritage. People now send this special variety of sweets to their relatives living abroad."
According to local legend, a person named Mahendra Das was the first to introduce Pera Sandesh in Naogaon more than one hundred years ago.
Mahendra used to work as a sweet-maker at the palace of one of the nawabs of Bihar, India. He came and settled in Kalitala of Naogaon after the nawab was defeated and killed in a battle.
After settling in Naogaon, he started to sell Pera Sandesh to different Hindu temples in the area and later opened a sweet shop named MaaNaogaonPera Sandesh beside the gate of the Sri Sri Buri Kali Mata Mandir in Naogaon city.
Following the death of Mahendra, his son Dhirendranath Das took over the shop. The fame of Pera Sandesh spread all over the country after a sweet-maker named BimalMohanto joined the shop. Dhirendranath, who ran the shop for about 30 years, later sold the shop and moved elsewhere.
The shop has gone through several ownership changes thereafter and is currently owned by Vaidya Ratan Das.
Ratan said he has been selling Pera Sandesh for almost 35 years.
"Worshippers, coming to the Hindu temple, buy sweets from my shop to offer to the deity. For that, they can buy sweets from our shop at as low as Tk5 to Tk11.
"We sell about four to five kilograms of Pera Sandesh to the worshipers per day. There are some wholesale buyers who have their own sweet shop in different places. Retail customers can also buy sweets from our shop," he added.
Saikat Das, son of Vaidya Ratan, said, "At present, there are several Pera Sandesh makers in Naogaon, but our shop is the most famous. We make 60-70 kgs of the variety every day. However, the production is more during different festivals."
Regarding the technique and materials of making Pera Sandesh, Saikat Das said, "To make one kg of Pera Sandesh we need 4 litres of liquid milk and 1 kg of sugar. We do not use any other ingredients. Each Pera Sandesh is about half an inch wide and two inches long. It can be preserved at normal temperature for 10-15 days."
"The total cost of making one kg of Pera Sandesh is around Tk300-310 and it is sold at Tk340 a kg," said Saikat Das.
Uttam Kumar, a resident of Kalitala, said, "There are several Pera Sandesh shops in Naogaon. But for me MaaPera Sandesh is the best. In addition, the price of sweets at this shop is relatively low compared to other confectioneries in the market."
Kaberi Rani, a resident of the Ghoshpara area in the city, said, "Sweets are needed for the worship of the goddess. In the morning I take Pera Sandesh from SaikatDas' shop next to the temple."
Due to its reputation, many sweet makers in Naogaon are now making Pera Sandesh.
Nazmul Haque, the proprietor of Naogaon Mistanna Bhandar, said, "The price of Pera Sandesh is comparatively higher than other sweets. There is a demand for this sweet all year round. But people love it due to its incomparable taste and quality."
