Tilkoot, Gajak, and Bundeli Sweet Food Tradition of Damoh

Damoh sweet-making tradition is anchored in sesame and jaggery confections — tilkoot and gajak — that peak at Makar Sankranti. Local halwais have family recipes for gajak specifying sesame-to-jaggery ratio, syrup temperature, and the precise moment to pour and cut. Damoh gajak is distinguished from Morena gajak by its softer, less crispy texture achieved by a lower final cooking temperature. Chikki of peanut and jaggery is the everyday sweet sold at every village market. Winter also produces til laddu, moongfali barfi, and aloo halwa from market-sourced ingredients. The Damoh Sankranti mela features a sweet-maker row where traditional families display multiple gajak types. Festival sweets are embedded in ritual exchange: newlyweds are gifted gajak bundles by relatives, and first-crop harvest is marked by offering tilkoot at household shrines.