These Streets Are Where Bengaluru Buys Its Authentic Sankranti Ellu

Last Updated:January 13, 2026, 16:54 IST

Unlike many festival treats that stay inside sweet shops, sankranti ellu comes out onto the streets. In Jayanagar, Gandhi Bazaar and Malleswaram, it is sold in small lanes.

Along with ellu, people also buy sugarcanes that are a must while distributing ellu to friends and family. Image: X

On a quiet lane in Jayanagar, Jaymma, an elderly woman sits behind a tiny folding table. In front of her are neatly packed bundles of sankranti ellu, packed carefully in small plastic covers. Some packets have mixed ellu, others are arranged thoughtfully with each ingredient kept separate – finely chopped jaggery, pieces of dry coconut, dehusked and golden roasted peanuts split in half, roasted gram, white sesame seeds, and tiny sugar figurines called sakkare achchu.

She smiles at passers-by, not like a vendor, more like someone passing on a tradition.

By evening, the same scene repeats in Gandhi Bazaar, Malleswaram, and dozens of smaller streets in between. Not in malls. Not in supermarkets. But on pavements, near temples, outside homes. For a few days every January, Bengaluru turns into a city that sells memory by the packet.

What sankranti ellu really means

Sankranti ellu is not just a festive snack. It is a ritual of sharing that marks Makar Sankranti in Karnataka. The traditional offering usually includes roasted sesame seeds, jaggery, peanuts, dry coconut, roasted gram, and sugar candies shaped into little animals, flowers, and dolls known as sakkare achchu.

In many homes, these ingredients are mixed together. Some like to add colourful tiny sugar candies or sugar-coated jeera to it. But, the meaning stays the same — sweetness, warmth, and good words for the year ahead.

The saying “ellu bella thindu olle maathu aadu” captures it best — eat sesame and jaggery, speak sweet words.

Unlike many festival treats that stay inside sweet shops, sankranti ellu comes out onto the streets. In neighbourhoods like Jayanagar, Gandhi Bazaar, and Malleswaram, residents set up small tables in front of their houses, selling neatly packed portions.

There is no branding. No flashy boards. Just quiet rows of tradition waiting to be noticed. There are also heaps of sugarcane, sweet potato and other winter fruits and veggies that are a part of Sankranti meal.

Where to shop for sankranti ellu in Bengaluru

If you want the most authentic experience, step into the older parts of the city. In Jayanagar, especially around 3^rd and 4^th Block, Basavanagudi border lanes, and near major temples, you will find homes and small street tables selling beautifully packed ellu sets.

Gandhi Bazaar becomes a festive corridor during Sankranti week. From the main market stretch to the bylanes near Ramakrishna Ashrama, women line up with trays and baskets of ellu, offering different styles — mixed for convenience, separate for tradition lovers.

Malleswaram mirrors the same spirit, particularly near Sampige Road and 8th Cross, where you will find both home sellers and small traditional stores offering their own versions of the mix.

Some packets are heavier on jaggery. Some add more peanuts. Some come with extra sakkare achchu. No two are exactly alike, and that is the beauty of it. Along with ellu, people also buy sugarcanes that are a must while distributing ellu to friends and family.

Earlier, women would make these ellu-bella mixture and sakkare achcu at homes. There are a few who continue to do that. But it is a painstakingly elaborate process that needs weeks of preparation, cutting dry coconut and jaggery into smallest possible pieces, roasting, sun-drying, packing, etc. When things are easy and available in good quality, people reach out to them and keep the tradition of celebration alive in Bengaluru.

Why people still buy from tiny street tables

You can find sankranti ellu in large stores today. It will be neatly branded and perfectly sealed. But most Bengalureans still drift toward the small tables outside homes. Because when you buy ellu from someone’s doorstep, you are not just buying ingredients. You are buying continuity.

For older residents, this is how festivals have always worked. For younger families, it becomes a way to show children that celebrations do not always come from shelves and counters.

By nightfall, the woman in Jayanagar has almost sold out. Only a few neatly packed sets remain, the sakkare achchu tucked carefully on top. And Bengaluru homes get ready to distribute them with a piece of sugarcane and spread sweetness with a blessing of good health.

By evening, the same scene repeats in Gandhi Bazaar, Malleswaram, and dozens of smaller streets in between. Not in malls. Not in supermarkets. But on pavements, near temples, outside homes. For a few days every January, Bengaluru turns into a city that sells memory by the packet.

What sankranti ellu really means

Sankranti ellu is not just a festive snack. It is a ritual of sharing that marks Makar Sankranti in Karnataka. The traditional offering usually includes roasted sesame seeds, jaggery, peanuts, dry coconut, roasted gram, and sugar candies shaped into little animals, flowers, and dolls known as sakkare achchu.

In many homes, these ingredients are mixed together. Some like to add colourful tiny sugar candies or sugar-coated jeera to it. But, the meaning stays the same — sweetness, warmth, and good words for the year ahead.

The saying “ellu bella thindu olle maathu aadu” captures it best — eat sesame and jaggery, speak sweet words.

Unlike many festival treats that stay inside sweet shops, sankranti ellu comes out onto the streets. In neighbourhoods like Jayanagar, Gandhi Bazaar, and Malleswaram, residents set up small tables in front of their houses, selling neatly packed portions.

There is no branding. No flashy boards. Just quiet rows of tradition waiting to be noticed. There are also heaps of sugarcane, sweet potato and other winter fruits and veggies that are a part of Sankranti meal.

Where to shop for sankranti ellu in Bengaluru

If you want the most authentic experience, step into the older parts of the city. In Jayanagar, especially around 3^rd and 4^th Block, Basavanagudi border lanes, and near major temples, you will find homes and small street tables selling beautifully packed ellu sets.

Gandhi Bazaar becomes a festive corridor during Sankranti week. From the main market stretch to the bylanes near Ramakrishna Ashrama, women line up with trays and baskets of ellu, offering different styles — mixed for convenience, separate for tradition lovers.

Malleswaram mirrors the same spirit, particularly near Sampige Road and 8th Cross, where you will find both home sellers and small traditional stores offering their own versions of the mix.

Some packets are heavier on jaggery. Some add more peanuts. Some come with extra sakkare achchu. No two are exactly alike, and that is the beauty of it. Along with ellu, people also buy sugarcanes that are a must while distributing ellu to friends and family.

Earlier, women would make these ellu-bella mixture and sakkare achcu at homes. There are a few who continue to do that. But it is a painstakingly elaborate process that needs weeks of preparation, cutting dry coconut and jaggery into smallest possible pieces, roasting, sun-drying, packing, etc. When things are easy and available in good quality, people reach out to them and keep the tradition of celebration alive in Bengaluru.

Why people still buy from tiny street tables

You can find sankranti ellu in large stores today. It will be neatly branded and perfectly sealed. But most Bengalureans still drift toward the small tables outside homes. Because when you buy ellu from someone’s doorstep, you are not just buying ingredients. You are buying continuity.

For older residents, this is how festivals have always worked. For younger families, it becomes a way to show children that celebrations do not always come from shelves and counters.

By nightfall, the woman in Jayanagar has almost sold out. Only a few neatly packed sets remain, the sakkare achchu tucked carefully on top. And Bengaluru homes get ready to distribute them with a piece of sugarcane and spread sweetness with a blessing of good health.

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