Any celebrations and festival is followed by great feasting of special dishes, each specific to different occasions and different region, different tribes, castes and cultures.

Here are five top festival favourites.  

1. Tilkut: Tilkut or bars of sesame seeds – a sweet cracker made by mixing the seeds either with jaggery or sugar 

2. Pongal:  Moong dal, jaggery and milk are boiled in a pot and once the rice is cooked, it is seasoned with dry fruits like cashew nuts and raisins fried in ghee.

3. Til-gur laddu: Roasted sesame seeds and jaggery pounded together and shaped into laddoo.

4. Ghewar: A Rajasthani delicacy made with ghee, milk , khoya, maida and sugar syrup, it is distributed during the festival.

5. Pithas: In many parts of the country, the dish is prepared as a symbol of celebration. Made with rice flour, khoya, milk and sugar it served ad a mark of celebration.