Paan (Betel leaves) for puja rituals, made in pure copper and embossed are Eight Ashtavinayaka Ganesh images on it.
One of the most important puja items in Hindu rituals is the betel leaf. The betel leaf is a symbol of freshness and prosperity. The betel leaf is also one of the items in ashtamangalya (flowers, mangala ashtaka [rice colored with turmeric], fruits, mirror, dhoti, betel leaf and betel nut, lamp and kumkum and kajal.
Eight Swayambhu idols of lord Ganesha or commonly known as "ASHTAVINAYAKAS" to all of us, is the most visited pilgrimage in western maharashtra, by people of all religions and faith. It is believed that all the eight ganeshas are Jagrut. Together they for the "ASHTAVINAYAK", ASHTA meaning eight, and VINAYAK is the name of Lord Ganesha. At all these places Lord Ganesh is known by different names, they are Moreshwar at Morgaon, Siddhivinayak at Siddhatek, Varad Vinayak at Mahad, Ballaleshwar at Pali, Chintamani at Theur, Girijatmak at Lenhyadri, Vighneshwar at Ozhar and Mahaganpati at Ranjangaon.
It is very much believed to visit these places in the above given order and then again visiting Morgaon, although due to lack of time and location constraint tourist generally visit Varad Vinayak, Ballaleshwar, Vigneshwar and Girijatmak together as these are on one side of Pune and the rest together, as they fall along the other side. The entire eight Ganeshas are spread over Pune, Ahmadnagar and Raigad district. According to Shastra, first you have to visit Moreshwar of Morgaon. Then visit Siddhatek, Pali, Mahad, Theur, Lenyadri, Ozar, Ranjangaon and then again Morgaon will end your Ashtavinayaka Yatra in true sense.
The 8 original idols of Lord Ganesha in the state of Maharashtra are called Swayambhu effigies or the self-existent in Sanskrit. This is to indicate that no human created these murtis, they were found completely formed by nature.
According to Skanda Purana, the betel leaf was obtained by the gods during the churning of the ocean for the nectar. Different deities reside in the betel leaf:
• Indra and Shukra are present in the top portion of the leaf.
• Goddess Saraswati resides in the middle part.
• Goddess Mahalakshmi resides in the lower tip.
• Jyesta Lakshmi resides in the part that connects the betel leaf to the stem.
• Lord Vishnu resides inside the leaf.
• Lord Shiva and Kamdev reside on the outside of the leaf.
• Goddess Parvati and Mangalya Devi live on the left side.
• Mother Earth or Bhoomidevi lives on the right side.
• Lord Suryanarayana is there throughout the leaf.
The betel nut is an integral part of the daily or ritualistic Pooja. It is also popularly used in the age old-custom of Indian eating. The supari is symbolic of the nut of the ego that must be offered on the altar of God. It represents the hard, coarse qualities that must be surrendered to God, leaving only the soft, pure qualities.
Details: Made in copper with gold polish and Artifical Silver for symbolic offerings.
Dimensions of Betel leaf: 3 inches(W) X 5 inches (L) approx
Weight: 15 grams approx