Kalanamak rice

Kalanamak rice has been cultivated since the Buddhist period (600 BC). Kalanamak grains were found from the excavation of Kapilvastu. Kapilvastu, part of the Kingdom of King Śuddhodana, father of Gautama Buddha is located in Terai, Nepal. During the excavation of Aligarhwa carbonized rice grains resembling Kalanamak were recovered. Chinese monk Fa-hien wrote that when Buddha visited Kapilvastu for the first time after attaining 'enlightenment', he was stopped at Mathla village by the people. The villagers asked Siddhartha to give them prasad. Siddhartha took the rice he had taken in alms and gave it to the people, asking them to sow it in a marshy place. The rice thus produced "will have a typical aroma which will always remind people of me," he said. Bajha jungle later vanished replaced by Bajha village near Kapilvastu. Mudila village replaced Mathla. The belt is still believed to run between Bajha and Aligarhwa. This variety, if sown elsewhere, loses its aroma and quality. The first effort to conserve Kalanamak rice was made by Englishmen William Pepe, J H Hemprey, and Edcan Walker (Jamindars of Alidapur, Birdpur, and Mohana) during the British Raj. They built reservoirs at Bajha, Marthi, Moti, and Majhauli to produce Kalanamak. They produced this variety for their consumption and transported it to England from Uska-bazar mandi, passing through Dhaka (now in Bangladesh). Due to increasing demand, the British captured the land around Kapilvastu and established Birdpur and Alidapur estates. They produced Kalanamak through bonded labor and exported it to Britain. When Gujarati businessmen came to know about this business potential, they formed a mandi at Uska-bazar to export Kalanamak. British "shopkeepers" built a rail route to carry rice via rail to counter them. After independence, Uska-bazar mandi became nonfunctional due to negligence, and reservoirs gathered silt. This led to a fall in production of Kalanamak. ==GI Tag==

Kalanamak rice was granted the Geographical Indication (GI) Tag in 2012 by the Government of India. A geographical area was defined where Kalanamak rice can be produced. Kalanamak rice grown only in this area can be labelled as Kalanamak rice. The GI tag is used for agricultural, natural and manufactured goods. The geographical area for Kalanamak rice lies between 26° 42′ North to 27° 75′ North Latitude and 81° 42′ to 83° 88′ East Longitude in UP. Kalanamak Rice is approved for 11 districts of Zone 7 of UP. These 11 districts are located in the divisions of Gorakhpur (Deoria, Gorakhpur, Mahrajganj, Siddharth Nagar districts), Basti (Basti, Sant Kabir Nagar, Siddharth Nagar districts), and Devipatan (Bahraich, Balrampur, Gonda, Shravasti districts). ==Quality==

Kalanamak rice is a non-basmati rice with medium slender grain length. The four varieties of Kalanamak are KN 3, Bauna Kalanamak 101, Bauna Kalanamak 102, and Kalanamak Kiran were developed by Dr. R. C. Chaudhary. The aroma of Kalanamak rice is said to be Buddha's gift. It is stronger than all Basmati varieties. It elongates after cooking, which is one of its most important quality traits. Cooked kalanamak is softer and fluffier than other rice varieties. Amylose content is close to 20% as compared to 24% and higher in Basmati. High amylose levels tend to make the rice cook firm and dry. Rice with a medium amylose content, between 16% and 22%, usually cooks softer and the grains stick together more readily. ==Health benefits==

retail outlet at Siddharthnagar railway station Kalanamak rice is rich in micronutrients such as iron and zinc. It has 11% protein, almost double that of common rice varieties. It has a low Glycemic Index (49% to 52%) making it relatively sugar-free and suitable for diabetics. The government of India came out with its Nutri-Farm scheme in 2013, intending to promote food crops that offer critical micronutrients to improve the nutrition status of the vulnerable section of society. Kalanamak rice was one of the nutri-crop selected for this scheme. ==References==