->Hirok Raja at 05:46, 23 October 2021

2021-10-23T05:46:25Z

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{{Distinguish|[[Pandanus amaryllifolius|Pandan]]}}
[[File:Betel Set LACMA AC1997.229.3.1-.12.jpg|alt=Paan Dan|thumb|[[Paan Dan]] (a set of case to store [[Paan]]) displayed at the [[Los Angeles County Museum of Art]]]]
A '''Paan Dan''' ([[Hindi]]: पान दान, [[Bengali language|Bengali]]: পানদানি, [[Urdu language|Urdu]]: پان دان , English: Betel case) is a container for storing [[paan]] ([[Betel|betel leaf]]) used in [[South Asia]]n households. It also stores other ingredients such as [[Chewing tobacco|zarda]], [[Areca nut|supari]] (or ''gua''), [[Catechu|kattha]], [[Calcium hydroxide|choona]] (also known as "soon"), [[clove]], [[cardamom]] (elachi), and other accessories.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.etsy.com/listing/724697291/vintage-oval-brass-paan-dan-beetle-nut|title=Vintage Oval Brass Paan Dan, Beetle Nut Box, Handcrafted Box With 6 Compartments, Home Decor, Condiments Box, L19 cm x W 13 cm x H 9 cm|website=Etsy|language=en-US|access-date=2019-10-31}}</ref> A paan dan is [[Household silver|silverware]] used mostly to store betel leaf, betel seeds and most other spices for making a paan. A paan dan is often made of perforated metal and has several compartments for storing the individual ingredients for making paan.

== Etymology ==
[[File:Paan Dan.jpg|alt=Paan Dan|thumb|[[Paan Dan]] (case to store [[Paan]]) in shape of peacock. Made of Brass, the case dates to 17th or 18th century and belongs to [[Longvek]] in Cambodia. On display at the [[National Museum of Cambodia]].]]
"[[Paan]]" in [[Sanskrit]] is a combining of betel leaf with [[Areca]] nut which is widely consumed throughout South Asia<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Auluck|first=A|last2=Hislop|first2=G|last3=Poh|first3=C|last4=Zhang|first4=L|last5=Rosin|first5=MP|date=2009|title=Areca nut and betel quid chewing among South Asian immigrants to Western countries and its implications for oral cancer screening|journal=Rural and Remote Health|volume=9|issue=2|pages=1118|issn=1445-6354|pmc=2726113|pmid=19445556}}</ref> and Taiwan.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.lexico.com/en/definition/paan|title=Paan {{!}} Definition of Paan by Lexico|website=Lexico Dictionaries {{!}} English|language=en|access-date=2019-10-31}}</ref> "Dan" is a common word used in [[Indo-Aryan languages]] to describe a container or a box.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/aglossaryclevel01atkigoog|page=[https://archive.org/details/aglossaryclevel01atkigoog/page/n338 371]|quote=paan dan.|title=A Glossary of the Cleveland Dialect: explanatory, derivative, and critical|last=ATKINSON|first=John Christopher|date=1868|publisher=J. R. Smith|language=en}}</ref>

== History ==
Paan dan is silverware that was very popular during the 19th century.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O34306|title=Pan dan (casket for betel) (Pan dan (casket for pan)) {{!}} V&A Search the Collections|date=2019-10-31|website=V and A Collections|language=en|access-date=2019-10-31}}</ref> The last ruler of the [[Kingdom of Oudh|kingdom Oudh]], [[Wajid Ali Shah|Wajid 'Ali Shah']] who was deposed and exiled to [[Kolkata|Calcutta]] by the [[British Empire|British]] in 1856, used a paan dan to store his every day paan ingredients. The specific paan dan that was used by Wajid was later given to [[Mary of Teck|Queen Mary]] during the [[Delhi Durbar#Durbar of 1911|Delhi Coronation Durbar and Indian tour of 1911-1912]], then presented to the museum in 1912.

A paan dan was carried by everyone during the old days. Even the dancing girls of the court of [[Nawab]]s in [[Lucknow]] carried them. It was discovered that the dancing girl's paan dan were pure silver, coated with fine [[Mughal Empire|Mughlai]] work of [[Lucknow]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.indiamart.com/proddetail/paan-dan-8182837797.html|title=Paan Dan|website=indiamart.com|language=en|access-date=2019-10-31|archive-date=2019-10-31|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191031135737if_/https://www.indiamart.com/proddetail/paan-dan-8182837797.html}}</ref> In the old days, [[Betel]] leaf and its seeds were usually consumed by field workers and other rural inhabitants. People chewed it to suppress their hunger as it has a mild painkilling effects similar to a [[narcotic]].

== Weight and Measures ==
The size of a paan dan varies, but approximately 3.93 inches high, 10.43 inches wide, and 7 inches long. It usually weighs around 2 pounds.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://gettysburg.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p4016coll6/id/1089/|title=Pan box (Paan dan)|website=gettysburg.contentdm.oclc.org|language=en|access-date=2019-10-31}}</ref>

== Production ==
[[File:Paris 550.jpg|alt=This work is part of the collections of the Louvre (Department of Islamic Art).|thumb|This Paan Dan was engraved with both [[Islamic art]] and its character to symbolize its origin.]]
Every design is handcrafted by an artist and each paan dan has its own characteristics, individuality and uniqueness.<ref name=Khan>{{Cite web|url=https://telanganatoday.com/hyderabad-changing-traditions-make-lives-paandaan-makers-tough|title=Hyderabad: Changing traditions make lives of paandaan makers tough|last=Khan|first=AuthorAsif Yar|website=Telangana Today|language=en-US|access-date=2019-10-31}}</ref> A paan dan may be custom made to satisfy a customer's taste and usually reflects the customer's personality. Most silverware crafted by local craftspeople have a mark or two on the bottom as a [[hallmark]] or signature of the artisan. A paan dan is usually crafted out of silver and covered with an oil to prevent the silver from tarnishing.

== Modern Use ==
[[File:Paan Making.jpg|alt=Paan selling selling across shops.|thumb|Modern day [[Paan]] are sold across shops and markets.]]
[[File:Betel leaf betel nuts and lime.jpg|alt=Betel leaf with betel nuts and lime.|thumb|[[Betel|Betel leaf]] with [[Areca nut|betel nuts]] and lime, often used during the [[Ramadan]] holiday that is associated with the [[Islam]]ic religion.]]
Today, people still use paan dan to store their betel leaves and seeds.<ref name=Khan /> However, over time the majority of people have quit chewing betel leaf, so artisans are having a tougher time economically. Even the custom of handing out paan dan during a wedding ceremony has decreased. Local craftspeople are finding that youngsters are not interested in learning to craft paan dan since it doesn't pay much as chewing paan is only popular during [[Ramadan]].

Aside from consuming bland betel leaves, people consume paan where they wrap the seeds with betel leaf flavored with lime paste.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/?id=eapDDAAAQBAJ&pg=PA51&dq=paan#v=onepage&q=paan&f=false|title=Handbook of Journalism and Media: India, Bharat, Hindustan|last=Reddy|first=Kovuuri G.|date=2015|publisher=Vikas Publishing House|isbn=9789325982383|language=en}}</ref> Paan has many benefits as it is used for painkilling effects and is also used as a laxative and promotes digestion.

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{{Portal bar|Bangladesh}}

== References ==
<references />

[[Category:Storage vessels]]
[[Category:Bengali words and phrases]]
[[Category:Bangladeshi cuisine]]
[[Category:Bangladeshi culture]]

Paan dan - Revision history

->Hirok Raja at 05:46, 23 October 2021