It is a routine custom in India for son-in-laws to get pampered like no other when visiting their in-laws. Mallikarjun, a resident of Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh witnessed his share of the royal treatment when he visited his in-laws, Kantri and Kalpana, for the first time since his marriage with their daughter to celebrate Sankranti festival in Hyderabad.
The elderly couple residing in Shardanagar near Saroor Nagar married their elder daughter to Mallikarjun just four months ago. On the occasion of celebrating the newlyweds’ first Sankranti, they prepared a massive feast consisting of 130 dishes, carefully placed on banana leaves, featuring an array of different flavours from Telangana cuisine. The son-in-law was blown away by the display.
Tradition to pamper son-in-laws during Sankranti
Treating or pampering sons-in-law by throwing royal feasts on Sankranti (Pedda Panduga) has been a tradition in many households in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. The tradition is also common in undivided Godavari districts.
This grand treatment has been a recurring spectacle when last year, a family from Eluru district in Andhra Pradesh welcomed their son-in-law for Sankranti by preparing a feast featuring 379 dishes. The mother-in-law had worked hard for three days to prepare the dishes. Her son-in-law was surprised by the grand welcome and such a large number of dishes.
Andhra Pradesh’s family treats son-in-law to feast with 300 dishes
Two years ago, in 2023, a future son-in-law to residents of Narsapuram was also welcomed in a similar fashion with 365 dishes on the occasion of Sankranti.
Dishes made in Telangana and Andhra on the occasion of Sankranti include savoury snacks like murkulu, palli garelu, pulihora, bagara, and sakinalu made from rice flour and sweets prepared with jaggery like nuvvula laddu, ariselu and KajjiKayalu.
