Maharashtrian Diwali Faral 2026: Bhajani Chakli, Shankarpali, Karanji and Besan Ladoo

Quick answer: Faral is the plate of homemade Diwali snacks and sweets that many Maharashtrian families make in the days before the festival and share with visitors. Four favourites are bhajani chakli (crisp spirals of roasted multi-grain flour), sweet shankarpali, karanji (filled crescent pastries) and besan ladoo. Make chakli dough with boiling water, fry everything on medium or low heat, and cool fully before storing. Lakshmi Puja 2026 is on Sunday 8 November (Drik Panchang).

For the festival itself, see our Diwali / Deepavali 2026 complete 5-day guide, and for more dishes, our Diwali sweets recipes 2026 page.

The faral tradition

In many Maharashtrian homes, faral preparation is a family event a week or so before Diwali, with relatives and neighbours often helping one another with the long frying sessions. A typical plate holds chakli, shankarpali, karanji, besan or rava ladoo, chivda and anarse, though the exact mix varies by family and region.

On the morning of Naraka Chaturdashi, many families have an abhyanga snan (oil bath) before sunrise and then sit down to the first faral of the festival. Plates are exchanged with neighbours and offered to guests throughout the festival, and the custom continues on Padwa and Bhau Beej.

Dates per Drik Panchang. For evening puja timings, see Diwali 2026 date and Lakshmi Puja muhurat, and for the puja steps, the Lakshmi Puja vidhi 2026.

Bhajani flour, explained

Bhajani is what makes Maharashtrian chakli different from other spiral snacks. A common home ratio is 2 cups rice, 1 cup chana dal, 1/2 cup urad dal, 1/4 cup coriander seeds and 2 tablespoons cumin seeds. Each is dry-roasted separately on low heat until aromatic and lightly coloured, cooled and then ground to a fine flour, often at a local mill. Some families add moong dal, poha or wheat. Store bhajani airtight and use it within a few weeks.

If you do not want to roast and grind, store-bought chakli bhajani is a perfectly good option and is how many busy families make faral today.

The recipes

Quantities, timings and yields are approximate, and every family has its own version. If reusing oil, fry the savoury chakli before the sweets.

Bhajani Chakli

Crisp, ridged spirals made from bhajani, a roasted multi-grain and lentil flour, using the hot-water (ukad) method. The savoury centrepiece of a Maharashtrian faral plate.

Prep: about 25 minutes, plus making bhajani if homemade. Cook: about 40 minutes. Makes: About 25 chaklis (approximate).

Ingredients

• 2 cups (about 250 g) chakli bhajani flour, homemade or store-bought
• 1 cup (240 ml) water
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons red chilli powder
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon white sesame seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon ajwain (carom seeds), optional
• 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• Oil for deep-frying

Method

1. Put the bhajani in a wide bowl with the chilli powder, turmeric, sesame, ajwain and salt.
2. Bring the water and 2 tablespoons of oil to a rolling boil.
3. Pour the hot water over the flour, mix with a spoon, cover and leave for 10 to 15 minutes.
4. When cool enough to handle, knead well, adding a few drops of water if needed, to a soft, smooth dough.
5. Heat oil over medium heat. Fill a chakli press fitted with the star disc.
6. Press spirals of three or four rounds onto squares of parchment or a greased plate, tucking the end in.
7. Slide the chaklis into the oil a few at a time and fry for 4 to 5 minutes, turning once, until the bubbles subside and they are crisp and golden.
8. Drain on a rack and cool completely before storing.

Tips: The ukad (hot water) method makes the dough easier to press. If chaklis break while pressing, knead in a little more water; if they absorb a lot of oil, the dough was too soft. Keep the dough covered as you work.

Sweet Shankarpali

Crunchy diamond-shaped bites of a dough made with equal parts of milk, sugar and ghee, fried until pale golden.

Prep: about 40 minutes, including resting. Cook: about 35 minutes. Makes: About 4 cups (approximate).

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup (120 ml) milk
• 1/2 cup (100 g) sugar
• 1/2 cup (110 g) ghee
• About 2 1/2 cups (300 g) maida (plain flour)
• A pinch of salt
• Oil or ghee for deep-frying

Method

1. Heat the milk, sugar and ghee together on low heat, stirring, only until the sugar dissolves. Let it cool until lukewarm.
2. Add the salt and the maida a little at a time, mixing to a firm, smooth dough. You may need a little more or less flour.
3. Cover and rest the dough for 20 to 30 minutes.
4. Divide into four parts. Roll each into a round about 5 mm thick.
5. Cut into small diamonds with a knife or a crimped pastry wheel.
6. Fry in batches on low to medium heat for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring, until pale golden and crisp.
7. Drain and cool on a tray. They become crunchier as they cool.

Tips: Fry on gentle heat so the shankarpali cook through without browning. For a less sweet version, reduce the sugar to 1/3 cup.

Karanji (Coconut-Jaggery or Dry Sugar Filling)

Crisp, crescent-shaped fried pastries with either a moist fresh coconut and jaggery filling or a dry, long-keeping filling of coconut, semolina, sugar and poppy seeds.

Prep: about 50 minutes, including dough resting. Cook: about 45 minutes. Makes: About 20 karanjis (approximate).

Ingredients

• For the dough: 2 cups (250 g) maida, or 1 1/2 cups maida and 1/2 cup fine semolina
• 3 tablespoons hot ghee
• A pinch of salt
• About 1/2 cup (120 ml) milk or water
• Coconut-jaggery filling: 2 cups (about 160 g) fresh grated coconut, 3/4 cup (150 g) grated jaggery, 1/2 teaspoon cardamom powder
• Or dry sugar filling: 1 cup (80 g) desiccated coconut, 1/4 cup (40 g) fine semolina roasted in 1 teaspoon ghee, 1 tablespoon poppy seeds (khus khus), 1/2 cup (60 g) powdered sugar, 1/2 teaspoon cardamom powder, 2 tablespoons chopped nuts
• Oil or ghee for deep-frying

Method

1. Rub the hot ghee and salt into the flour until it holds together when pressed. Add milk or water gradually and knead to a firm, smooth dough. Cover and rest for 30 minutes.
2. For the coconut-jaggery filling, cook the coconut and jaggery together on medium-low heat for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring, until the mixture is thick and fairly dry. Add the cardamom and let it cool fully.
3. For the dry filling, lightly roast the desiccated coconut and the poppy seeds separately, cool, and mix with the roasted semolina, powdered sugar, cardamom and nuts.
4. Divide the dough into 20 balls and roll each into a thin round about 10 cm across.
5. Place a spoon of filling on one half, moisten the edge with water, fold over and press firmly to seal.
6. Trim the edge with a crimped pastry wheel, or shape in a karanji mould. Keep shaped karanjis under a damp cloth.
7. Fry a few at a time on medium-low heat for 5 to 6 minutes, turning, until crisp and light golden.
8. Drain on a rack and cool completely.

Tips: Seal each karanji well and keep the filling dry, or it can leak and splatter. Fresh coconut-jaggery karanji taste wonderful but do not keep long; choose the dry filling for a faral tin that must last.

Besan Ladoo

Rich, nutty laddus of gram flour slow-roasted in ghee and sweetened with powdered sugar. No frying and no syrup.

Prep: about 10 minutes. Cook: about 30 minutes. Makes: About 14 to 16 laddus (approximate).

Ingredients

• 2 cups (about 200 g) besan, preferably coarse (ladoo besan)
• 1/2 to 2/3 cup (110 to 150 g) ghee
• 1 cup (about 120 g) powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cardamom powder
• 2 tablespoons chopped almonds or cashews
• 1 tablespoon milk (optional, for a grainy texture)

Method

1. Melt half the ghee in a heavy pan on low heat and add the besan.
2. Roast on low heat, stirring constantly, for 20 to 25 minutes. Add the remaining ghee gradually as the besan absorbs it.
3. Stop when the besan smells nutty, turns a few shades darker and becomes loose and glossy.
4. If you like a grainy texture, sprinkle in the milk; it will sizzle and foam. Stir for 1 minute.
5. Take off the heat and let it cool until just warm.
6. Mix in the powdered sugar, cardamom and nuts.
7. Shape into firm laddus. If the mixture will not bind, add a spoon of warm ghee.

Tips: Patience is the secret: roast slowly on low heat until the raw smell has gone completely. Add sugar only once the besan is warm, not hot, or it melts and the laddus go flat.

Substitutions

Tips for Maharashtrian families abroad

• Chakli bhajani, chakli presses and karanji moulds are sold in many Indian grocery stores and online in the USA, UK, Canada and Australia.
• In North America and the UK, Naraka Chaturdashi falls on Saturday 7 November, so the oil-bath morning and first faral can be a relaxed weekend breakfast.
• Packing faral for friends or colleagues? Chakli, shankarpali and besan ladoo travel well; avoid fresh coconut karanji for long journeys.

Storage

• Chakli: about 2 to 3 weeks in an airtight jar at room temperature.
• Shankarpali: about 2 to 3 weeks airtight.
• Karanji: about 2 weeks with dry filling; 3 to 4 days with fresh coconut-jaggery filling, or about a week in the fridge.
• Besan ladoo: about 2 weeks airtight at room temperature.

Frequently asked questions

What is bhajani flour?

Bhajani is a flour made from grains, lentils and spices that are roasted separately and then ground together. For chakli it usually contains rice, chana dal and urad dal with coriander and cumin seeds. Roasting gives chakli its nutty flavour and crunch.

Can I use store-bought bhajani?

Yes. Ready-made chakli bhajani is sold in Maharashtrian stores and many Indian grocery stores abroad. Check the salt and spice on the pack, and keep the hot-water method the same.

Why do my chaklis turn soft or break in the oil?

Soft chaklis are usually fried on too high a heat, browning before they crisp, or the dough had too much water. Chaklis that break or dissolve often need a little more oil kneaded into the dough. Fry a test chakli first.

How long does Diwali faral keep?

Approximately: chakli and shankarpali 2 to 3 weeks, karanji with dry filling and besan ladoo about 2 weeks, all airtight at room temperature. Karanji with fresh coconut-jaggery filling keeps 3 to 4 days, longer in the fridge.

Can I bake shankarpali instead of frying?

Many home cooks do. Brush the diamonds lightly with ghee and bake at about 180 C for 15 to 20 minutes, until pale golden. The texture is more biscuit-like than fried shankarpali.

When is Diwali in 2026?

Per Drik Panchang, Lakshmi Puja is on Sunday 8 November 2026 in India and in the USA, Canada and the UK. Dhanteras is on Friday 6 November, and Bali Pratipada (Padwa) on Tuesday 10 November in India.

Editor's note (8 October 2026)

We wrote this page on 8 October 2026. Dates follow Drik Panchang by country: in India, Dhanteras on Friday 6 November, Naraka Chaturdashi and Lakshmi Puja on Sunday 8 November, Govardhan Puja and Padwa on Tuesday 10 November and Bhai Dooj on Wednesday 11 November 2026. Recipes are standard home versions; quantities, timings, yields and shelf life are approximate.

Related guides

• North Indian Diwali sweets: gujiya, mathri and coconut ladoo
• Telugu Deepavali recipes: ariselu and kajjikayalu
• Tamil Deepavali recipes: murukku and adhirasam
• Diwali 2026 recipes: 35 traditional sweets and snacks
• Dhanteras 2026
• Naraka Chaturdashi 2026
• Lakshmi Puja 2026
• Govardhan Puja and Bali Padyami 2026
• Bhai Dooj 2026
• Dussehra 2026 in Maharashtra