In Maharashtra on Dhanteras, dried coriander seeds are pounded with jaggery.
The mixture is a distinctive Maharashtrian naivedya, or food offering, associated with Dhanteras, also known as Dhantrayodashi. Dried coriander seeds are lightly crushed and combined with jaggery, an unrefined sugar traditionally made by concentrating sugarcane juice. The offering is presented during worship and may later be shared as prasad.
The custom fits Dhanteras’ wider connection with prosperity, nourishment, and Dhanvantari, the divine physician associated with Ayurveda. Coriander is a familiar culinary and medicinal ingredient in South Asian food traditions, while jaggery provides sweetness and is widely used in festive offerings across India.
The practice is regional, not a universal Dhanteras requirement. Other communities emphasize Lakshmi worship, buying metal goods, lighting a Yama lamp, or honoring Dhanvantari. Jaggery is also called gur or gul in different Indian languages, so descriptions may use one of those names instead. The coriander in this custom means dried coriander seed, not fresh coriander leaves.