How to Grow a Jamara (जौ )? – 5 Easy Steps and Some FAQ!

How to Grow a Jamara (जौ )? – 5 Easy Steps and Some FAQ!

निधारमा रातो टिका होस् , कानमा जमरा होस् , शिरमा ठुलाको आशिर्बाद होस् |
विजया दशमीको हार्दिक मंगलमय सुभकामना

This is one of the classic greetings that you will see on the Internet or on your SMS during Dashain. The essence of this greetings is basically “May you get the blessings from your elders and let your life be decorated with Tika and Jamara – Happy Dashain”

Today, this article is all about Jamara!

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How to grow a Jamara? What it is? Why is it grown? When is it grown? and everything.

Jamara is a Barley Shoot and it is considered a Holy Grass in Hindu Culture. However, in recent times people have started to see this plant for its health benefits as well. So before we go into the process of growing a Jamara, let’s take a look at why it is important and some of its health benefits.

Why is Jamara Important?

How to Grow a Jamara? - 5 Easy Steps and Some FAQ!

The Dashain begins with the planting of Jamara on the day of Ghatasthapana. On this day, the Kalash is filled with holy water and then filled with Barley seeds. Because on this day, the Kalash represents Lord Durga, the barley planted on that Kalash also gains a Holy essence, and as such when the Jamara is taken out on the tenth day i.e “Dashami/ Bijaya Dashami/Tika”, it becomes a Holy Grass. 

During this phase, the Kalash is kept in a dark place and Holy water is offered every day. The barley seed then grows up to 5 or 6 inches in length by the time of tika and it is then used alongside Tika and other holy ingredients during pujas. 

With this, we now know the cultural significance of Jamara (Barley Shoot). Now let’s look at the Health benefits.

Health Benefits of Jamara (Barley Sprouts)

How to Grow a Jamara? - 5 Easy Steps and Some FAQ!

Now while there has not been precise research done on the health benefits of Jamara, sprouting has been considered as the best way to prepare grains. It not only activates the enzymes inside the grain but also improves the amino acid and Vitamin Contents of the Grain, which in our case is Barley. Due to these factors, Jamara is considered to be rather a healthy option. 

The health benefits of Jamara based on this principle has been considered to be as follows:

  • The dietary fibers in Jamara helps to wash extra cholestrol out of your body and this makes it incredibly beneficial for your Heart Health.
  • Due to the rich contents of antioxidents present in the Jamara, it also plays a bug role in controlling your Blood Pressure
  • The soluble fibers in Barley Grass can wash away extra cholestrol and help in controlling Cholestrol in your body.
  • The combination of antioxidents, dietary fibers and vitamins/ minerals in the Barley Grass helps in managing Blood Sugar
  • Barleygrass is very high in dietary fiber, which allows it to be digested slowly. Combined with a high level of magnesium, it is considered an incredibly beneficial food for diabetics
  • Barley grass or Jamara, is low in calories but high in fiber, making it a great addition to a healthy weight loss diet.)
  • The rich amount of Vitamin A and C in the Barley Grass helps in Detoxifying blood
  • The soluble and insoluble fibers that Jamara has helps in promoting good bacterias and helps to absorb nutrients quicker improving your Bowel Function
  • Due to the richness of minerals like Calcium, Phosphorous, Barley Grass also helps in strengthening your bones as well

While all of these are great for your health, one cannot ignore the awful taste of Jamara when eaten raw. That being said, despite the taste, the popularity of Jamara Juice (barley Juice) and Jamara salad is slowly seen to be gaining popularity. 

But to get these health benefits you have to know how to grow a Jamara! How do you do it?

How to Grow a Jamara?

How to Grow a Jamara? - 5 Easy Steps and Some FAQ!

The process of growing a Jamara is rather simple. All you need is some barley seeds, some sand, and some water. You can use a tray to hold the sand but this is an optional requirement as you can easily place sand on any surface as long as you do it carefully. 

Materials required to Grow a Jamara

How to Grow a Jamara? - 5 Easy Steps and Some FAQ!
  • Tray or a Container
  • A mixture of Sand or Soil 
  • Barley seeds
  • Water

With these materials, you can easily grow a Jamara. Once you have these materials, all you need is to be patient and sow the seeds. To grow a Jamara, all you need to do is:

  • Soak the Barley seed for an entire night
  • Layout the mixture of sand and soil 
  • Drain the water from the Seeds
  • Place the seeds in the mixture of sand and soil
  • Sprinkle water every day

This is the method to grow a Jamara in a non-traditional way. If you want to follow the tradition, all you need to do is grow the Jamara in a Kalash after the Puja has been done. Do note that if you want to grow a Jamara for Dashain it is best to keep it in the dark as excessive light can make it shorter. 

But if your purpose for growing a Jamara is for health benefits, it is best to give it as much sunlight as possible to fill it with nutrition. 

So the Gist is,

How to Grow a Jamara? - 5 Easy Steps and Some FAQ!

Interesting story you did not know about Dashain and Jamara

Goddess Durga, the fierce and bold, is the deity we worship in Dashain in tribute to her power with which she defeated Mahisashur. The initial phase of the battle was between the gods and the demons. Gods were almost losing when they came up with a creation from each supreme deity’s input, that was Goddess Durga.
The legend says that there was a fierce battle between Goddess Durga and Demons that lasted for nine days. And each day she showed different aspects of her power and each one of those divine power was the 9 forms of Nawa Durga. In the end, she overpowered the demons and it called for the celebration that saved the gods and humans.

With this lasting legacy, Goddess Durga came to be a source of power for all existence, from living beings to all existing things. Down in the mortal world, the crops started to bloom as the source of survival for all the beings. With it all, Dashain came about to be the tribute celebration of the win over the demons that saved the world. So, in the aspect of regarding everything as a blessing from Goddess Durga.

How to Grow a Jamara (जौ )? - 5 Easy Steps and Some FAQ!
Wikipedia

These crops nourished with the epic mantras from the Chandi Grantha were taken as a blessing. The belief is that from Puttig on these Jamara and Tika from our elders gives us the blessing associated with Goddess Durga. Jamara came to be the blessing that incorporated the mantras of the divine power of Durga through Chandi, which states the creation of Durga to the destruction of the Demon. And upon receiving Jamara we tend to be blessed from her existence that has been living with these crops like Barley, Maize, Wheat, etc. since the Satya Yuga.

Jamara is basically a barley sprout that is grown traditionally for the festival of Dashain, This gives this sprout a status of a “holy grass”. But as times have changed, this “holy Grass” is being recognized for something more than religion and culture – for its health benefits. 

Due to these reasons, a lot of people want to know how to grow a Jamara. The process itself is quite simple but to grow a Jamara of optimum length for Dashain, one needs to keep it in the dark. 

Hope you found this helpful. If you have any suggestions for us, do let us known them down in the comments below. And as always, thank you for reading till the end. 

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