Dear Mamta,

For your info in India VARAK is made by beating silver pieces in between the underskin of sheep

the technic for beating silver between paper does not exist in India

surendra

Diastuds@hotmail.com

Hello Surendar

If this is true and if it becomes widely known, it will create a huge stir in India. 'Chandi Varak' is eaten by the strictest of Hindus in India and often used on sweets offered in temples.

What a story!! Almost like the bullets containing beef/pork grease that resulted in the mutiny of 1857! If Hindus knew, use of 'Chandi varak' will disappear overnight in India!

Mamta

Dear Mamta,

From what I have seen, old habits and tastes are usually hard to counter just as they are hard to die.

• Here are the list of references that mention about the manufacturing process of silver foils (varak/varakh) - see part A (Article A2 is from The Hindu newspaper).

• Even makers of sweets acknowledge the non-vegetarianism of varakh and specifically mention their non-usage in their sweets - see part B.

• There are active anti-varakh campaigns - see part C (and look for "Varakh").

• And lastly, there's a manufacturing plant setup to mechanically manufacture vegetarian varakh in colloboration with a German company - see part D.

A. References for manufacturing process:

1. http://www.vnn.org/world/WD9908/WD23-4573.html

2. http://www.hindu.com/mp/2004/09/29/stories/2004092900150303.htm

3. http://www.jainworld.com/jainbooks/images/20/UNIVERSAL_DECLARATION_OF_TH.htm

B. References by sweets makers:

4. http://www.srikrishnasweets.com/aboutSKS_strategicAdvantage.asp

C. References for Anti-Varakh campaigns:

5. http://members.tripod.com/~bwcindia/work.htm

D. References for alternate process of manufacturing:

6. http://www.dsgroupindia.com/silverfoil.html

So far I have only seen Catch Silver/Gold Leaves as the only 100% vegetarian varakh. Needless to say it will probably be more expensive compared to varakh widely available in the market.

In best interests,

Hardik

Thanks Hardik

I had a quick look at all the sites you refer to. If one is vegetarian, it would be simpler to stop using silver leaves altogether. After all, it does not enhance the taste, only looks!

Mamta

Dear Madam,

I have studied your comments about the subject, please let us know which country or company is manufacturing edible silver or gold varak by machines without the use of any animal product even intstines too, so that the conventional methods be removed by using the latest technology and the debate be end. Thanking You.

My E-mail address is:-laxmi_jain@hotmail.com

If the leaves are washed before they are placed on the sweets, which I would think they are other wise they taste of the intestines, then shouldn't they be save for vegetarians?

Isn.t this the same sort of question as when a vegetarian eats food cooked in a pan that may have been used to previously cook meat (washed)?

A moral question may be raised by vegetarians, on the use of cattle intestines, meaning that the cattle have to be killed to provide the intestines used!

Yes,Silver Varak in itself is Vegetarian.

But be careful, if you are Vegan or Strict Vegetarian,you should not use

Silver Varak,as I have seen its making here in Indore in one of Jain temple. I got shocked to know that Silver Varak or Gold Varak are being made by beating Silver Sheet/Gold Sheet in a bundle of 100 or 80 bundle of some kind of film or sheets made by Animal Intestine and Gelatine. This bundle cost around Rs.10000/-.Animal Intestine are changed in to like that.

The fellow who was making Varak did not allow me to take picture or video of it.

I wonder,why this Varak is used in Temples??

If you are interested to know more about Animal free life style and diet.You may visit my website also. http://wwww.indianvegan.com

We are running a Vegan Education Center at Indore.

Manish Jain

Neena Jain

Unfortunately from my research on silver varak recently did state to me that it is not suitable for vegetarians as they do use cows/ox intestines to beat the silver. As far as hindus are concerned we do not eat beef and to make varak they do use cows/ox intestines which according to my research if you put the varak under the microscope you will find traces of blood, stool and saliva of a cattle/ox.

Hi ! I am amazed by the research done by people like Ravi, Mamta Manish and Neena and Hardik about the Chandi varak and how its not good for purely vegetarains, Since I am in USA, (where you don't get much sweets) I never thought about this.But today when my husband and one of our friend(we allour vegetarian) raise this question, I found ou that infact it is purely NON-Vegetarian. I am really shocked.

I don't know what people in India are serving on the name of religion and vegetarian. God Bless India and Indians.

Request-Please don't eat chandi varak or use , anyway it is not giving you any nutrition. And a question of common sense that gold and silver itself are so costly, how can normal shopkeepers (mithai wala's) afford them.

Thanx .Best Wishes.

Candy.

This is a very nice discussion. I was just debating with my wife on this Varakh production process. She was insisting that she read it somewhere but it was hard for me to believe it as everybody said it is offered to god. But after searching on net and reading this forum I had to agree on this.

Nice work guys who have posted here and who is working to get rid of this non-veg Varakh.

Thanks.

Hi!

This has been an excellent discussion. This has helped clear a few doubts.But i still wonder what chandi varak does this DS Group make as given in one of the websites earlier.So how does that yet prove that the varak used in jain temples n commonly used in sweets does not come from the DS Group.Since the DS Group claims to be the only manufacturer of vegetarian varak electronically therby without usage of any animal intestines etc.Maybe the jain temples ues the varak sourced from the DS Group.And maybe many sweets are also coated with this same varak.

Thanks

Anvi

Hi!

This has been an excellent discussion. This has helped clear a few doubts.But i still wonder what chandi varak does this DS Group make as given in one of the websites earlier.So how does that yet prove that the varak used in jain temples n commonly used in sweets does not come from the DS Group.Since the DS Group claims to be the only manufacturer of vegetarian varak electronically therby without usage of any animal intestines etc.Maybe the jain temples ues the varak sourced from the DS Group.And maybe many sweets are also coated with this same varak.

Thanks

Anvi

it appears my original guess about a coating was on the ball...

Many many English sweets contain Gelatin/Gelatine and it makes me wonder how many vegetarians eat them without realising its made from boiled down bones and tendons!

Hi the basic fact is, in India Varakh production is not regulated, hence there is no way of knowing if it is obtained purely by mechanical means (no animal product used) or by disgusting and cruel use of animal product (skins/guts). Therefore, all vegetarians who really care about their state of vegetarianism should stop eating anything containing varakh.

And for those who say that well there is a machine now that produces varakh so all verakh is vegetarian, they are just using .out of sight out of mind. principle just like majority of meat eaters to continue satisfy greed without the need.

So just say NO to Varakh.

Re

Yogesh, UK

well let me tell you what i remeber froma documentary on DD-1 .

The manufacturing process:

The silver block is kept in a leather block and beaten till it is flat . The time of beating depends on past experience of the worker. once it is converted in foil it is not touched by hand and is odirectly trasfered to a paper or plastic layer.

I am sure there is no need for the intestine as leather serves the purpose to beat a metal like silver which is highly malleable.

I think this all hype is created by a few people who do would not take the pain of going and visiting a manufactuing facility and just search net where you will find the same article on every hit .

And for vegertarians i have think there are alot of things which we eat without knowing howit is made. and there is use of some animal part at some point of manufacturing.

such as sugar cleared to the white crystaline colour by filteration through gelatin which is manufactured from bones, skin, cartilage, hoofs and other animal tissue (ususally calf and swines). It is used to make capsules and milk formulas for the infants .

So tell me what all can you stop eating .

important factor here is the hygiene level involved. But i would suggest to all bloggers that before they send out such mails please authenticate what you are supporting .

regards,

Nidhi

i have just read these threads please go to this website and look for the topic about it

harekrishna.org

many thanks

Silver foil or varak used for decorating sweets, fruits, chocolates, confectioneries, betel leaf, areca nuts, condiments, amla (Goose berry) paste, chayvanprash and prepared vegetables etc. has more than just a pleasing look to them. It is made by placing several thin silver or gold metal small strips between gold/ silver beater?s cow skins. These very neat, clean and smooth skins are generally of 5-1/2 inch square and prepared from the outside membrane (skin) of the fresh brutally slaughtered cow or ox (Bull) large intestine because no other animal in the universe is suitable for such skins. The silver metal pieces are then pounded one by one between these square skin pieces and in this way 160 packs are prepared and then packed in a leather bag generally made of sheep or deer skin and capable to bear the continuous hammering carefully by a heavy metal hammer at least for three hours or till the metal strips in between the skins become ?varak? (foil) of the desired thickness and then these silver varak of size 4?x 4? are carefully transferred on a special paper for marketing. As the silver metal pieces are hammered continuously between two ?Cow intestine skin pieces? for about three hours, so certainly it is contaminated with micro fragments of the skin embedded in the varak and thus it becomes a Non- Vegetarian product.

My conclusion on this is that each person has to decide for themselves. Not that long ago, washers in the water taps used to be leather, still are in some places. Many desserts have animal gelatine, which we eat without realising/asking. I have no doubt that foods/drugs etc. come in contact with leather and other animal products. So, let?s each choose what we want to do, without anyone else making us feel bad about our choices.

Cheers!

Mamta

Until last February, I had never thought about Varakh (Silver Foil) being non-vegetarian. I never liked it in first place.The I had read somewhere along the line in the last decade or so that the human body doesn't digest silver and this silver foil used on Sweets just progress through the intestines.

In February, when I was in India, I ran across an article in a newspaper (Times of India, Ahmedabad?) that addressed the issue of some Guru selling Ayurvedic medicines containing animal and human bones. This article pointed out a lot of things vegetarians take for granted but contain one or other form of animal-derived product. Absolutely amazing. Being a strict vegetarian and even a vegan for a decade, I felt like I need my own farm, grow my own grains and vegetables. But then again, how would I be sure that the seeds I buy at least initially did not come from some kind of genetic engieering and contained some animal products?

Any thoughts? Any interested parties in joining a "commune" (not a communist commune but maybe a capitalist commune)?

e-mail address:

daji@kandarpoza.com

Kandarp Oza

I am sure that you are right, in that silver varak (beaten silver leaves) is passed through the intestines without being absorbed. Although gold and silver are used in many Indian, Ayurvedic medicines, they ar used as gold and silver salts of one sort or other, rather than their pure form.

I know about the story you mention, this ?some guru? is Swami Ramdevji Maharaj. Just to put the records straight, he was falsely accused by some person with a political agenda, his medicines were tested extensively and he was exonerated. No human or other bones were found. It was some disgruntled political person who falsely accused him. His medicines were investigated extensively.

I have met the man, though only once. He lives very near my mum?s and brother?s place in Haridwar-Roorkee, where I visit twice a year. I often go and visit his herb garden, a peaceful place. He lives simply, travels around India, teaching Yoga. I have had the fortune of attending one of his classes at his old base and learnt Yoga from his T-V programmes and DVD. I now practice yoga, to my benefit. He promotes, produces and sells Indian herbal medicines, which work for some people, not for others. People flock in their millions to his Yoga teaching camps around the country.

Personally, I wouldn?t give up my medicines for herbs, but I am sure he is not a fraud. I am sure some medicines work. On my last visit, I visited his new yoga ashram, Patanjali, just a week before it was due to open. It is a beautiful complex. Let?s wait and see and reserve judgment on how well it works, or not.

I respect your vegan/vegetarian interests and desire to produce your own food, which you know everything about. However, we have to trust someone at the end of the day. Otherwise we will all have to become strict Jains, even filtering our breath through a mask, incase we inhale and kill some insects, even germs.

Good luck with your own vegetable farm, growing your own is a lot of fun.

Thank you for your invitation, but I for one, am not into joining any communes, religious or otherwise. I prefer to listen to all and choose what I like from it and ignore what I don?t :-).

Take care!

Mamta

Hi all!

I realise this is an old thread now, but I just came across it on a google search - just to see if there was any new findings on the non-vegetarian ness of varakh which I last looked for about 2 and a half years ago. I guess the issue is still much the same. I'd researched on the web that at that time as the thought just poped into my head "how is varakh made" and I'd come across the same shocking discovery as everyone else who's posted here. I'm glad this discussion took place.

However, the one thought that just came to mind from skimming through this thread is that Milk is the holiest food for hindus.

Is it Khichri? You can debate it. God made milk for the babies (of all mammals). By drinking cow's milk, are we depriving the rightful owners? I have learnt that most things can be argued about from opposing sides, often equally forcefully.

Cheers!

mamta

This is indeed grisly. Although I am a non vegetarian but I have full respect towards vegetarians and Hindu beliefs. I advocate the public spreading of this information to the general public so that people stop using varak for all purposes.

I would suggest you to restrain from usage of Varakh.

The main purpose is that the purity of Silver used for the same is questionable.

Most of them consists of Lead and tin, whose tracest presence is also dangerous to health.

Think about it, Just decoration or Health!

I've noticed recently that some sweets shops in the uk seem to not be using so much varak. Or you can find it with or without varak.

If my family are ever given sweets with varak on we find it impossible to eat them thesedays.

Hi all..its really an interesting subject..Al these years,i never thought of wat exactly varakh was madeup of,until yesterday when I offered sweets to my American friend,who enquired about what the silver covering is of..i searched on net 2day...n wz shocking to even digest tht it is non-veg..

But if it is such a big issue,then why is its production and use not controlled or banned??i guess still not many ppl r aware of it..

It looks like as you suggest that its never been questioned as people don't know !

Yuck! I am never eating silver coated sweets ever again! Puke

I just read the point made by Chandru from Banglore, dated 14th November, "Most of them consists of Lead and tin, whose tracest presence is also dangerous to health."

He is right of course, there are frequent scares in India about cheaper end of the sweet shops using silver varak that is not quite what it is supposed to be. Heavy metals like Chandru mentioned are involved. This is quite dangerous. Sweets can be decorated quite well with chopped nuts in my view.

Thanks for pointing it out Chandru.

Mamta

Can anyone tell me the contact address,e-mail and phone of Ms menaka Gandhi??

Am desperately trying to contact her!!!

ramachandrannagarajan@yahoo.co.in

Thanks a lot!!

Happy New Year

Why do you think we will have a contact address for Mrs. Menka Gandhi? We are not from Gandhi family you know :-)!

Mamta

I think all the previous queriers regarding the vegeterianism of varakh should be answered by the following information.

There is a new manufacturer of Silver Varakh out in the market now. The company goes by the name of KSK (Kanishka) GOLD & SILVER PRODUCTS. They are, from my understanding, the ONLY company in the world that manufacter varakh using purely JAIN and Vegeterian methods.

Also, they are the only company to receive an letter of reccomendation from BWC (Beauty without Cruelty), the non-profit agency that is promoted by Mehanka Gandhi.

Ashish

Yes, its true. The website is www.kskvarakh.com. It is also available in the US, that number is 212-741-8888.

We had a hindu friend was quite shocked also that much cheese is not suitable for vegetarians/hindus - in the UK many manufacturers have taken animal products out of things like deserts and there is a lot of vegetarian labelling (not always 100% correct alas) - many people eat animal products because they are not educated to the extent they are snuck in by manufacturers

Ravi I never realised how many thing's have/had animal products in them until this topic came up.

Who would suspect sweets we give our children have gelatin which comes from animal cartiledge. Its also used in other products like jelly and other puddings.

Cheese using animal rennet to make it "turn" from milk to cheese (paneer uses lemon juice for this purpose)

and as this topic has shown something used for special occasions and thought to be pure turns out to use animal products that no one even suspected !

Steve

Being a pure vege we should never take sweets with silver foil

Guys, I never thought that any body would be that particular about such an antiquated item as chandi varakh! wow!

I belong to a family which was involved in manufacturing and distributing both silver and gold leaves in India (Delhi-through the entire last century). Growing up I have witnessed how they are manufactured and sold. Back in the days the mass consumption of this product was in the Unani and Auyurvedic systems of medicine. Because of the fact that gold and silver are quite malleable they are beaten to the extent of an ultra thin film which is called Varakh.

Earlier in twentieth century deer intestines and later goat intestines were used to place small stirps of gold and silver and beaten. Don't visualize intestines as intestines(bloody, gory, dirty) they are cleaned up and at the time of using it for the purpose of making varakh they are like a bright orange paper sheet clean, smooth and COMPLETELY dried.

You can witness the process yourself there is nothing to hide their. As far as whether or not you should eat them! you have to use your own discretion. Time and space doesn't allow me to go any further but that is pretty much it.

Hope it helps.

Hi Irfan

It was nice to have a definitive answer to this question. We would love to hear more about the production of chandi varak, all the details, please. As you live in India, you know that devout Hindus and other strict vegetarians will object to having any part of animal product come in contact with anything they eat. It is surprising that varak is used on all Indian sweets, even the ones in temples.

Irfan

I don't think anyone is assuming that they are not in completely clean and prepared state but it's a personal choice for strick vegetarians to ensure that no animal products are used in their food or the preparation of their food and it's up to them to decide whether they feel the use of the hides is appropriate or not.

For that reason, it's of interest to people holding such beliefs, that such techniques are used when the impression they had was that no animal products were involved. Then they can make the choice.

Whilst you or I may not have the same beliefs, I do think everyone is entitled to full disclosure on manufacture methods so that they can make their own choices.

Kavita

To Kavita,

I stand corrected, I may have been a little callous in the matter, not fully realizing the impact and scope of this subject. I have nothing but respect for your beliefs in this matter. I imagine it would be treated at par with the Muslim revulsion about pork products and by products.

I have been away from this whole scene ever since I left Pakistan some twenty years ago. If with the advent in technology it has been manufactured in a different way i.e. without the aid of animal by product I am not aware of it.

To Mumta,

Thank you for certifying me as the resident expert here, however I must tell you that I am not worthy of this mantle as all my life I have been an observer of the process rather then a participant. The life cycle of this product goes back over centuries. I asked my grand father how did he come into this business and he said because his father and the father of his father were doing the same thing. I don't know if there are any records kept but I recall reading somewhere that fascination with precious metals lead to its edibility, probably lead to its current form. That it hasn't change forms over years is quite certain and was seen as worthy to be put on different dishes on the king's table.

One last thing, this was a dying business because of the introduction of imitation Varakh. However those who were linked with this business selling pure gold and silver Varakh may have invented alternate uses of this product like any smart marketer would do. It is a good bet that it might be serving some other purpose, beside being slapped on a 'Halwa' dish and look pretty! That I am sure of.

Irfan, I myself am not religious and not vegetarian so this matter is not of personal relevance to me.

However, I do understand that many people do place great importance on maintaining their strictly non-vegetarian lifestyle and that the use of animal products, no matter how well cleaned etc. would be objectionable to them, if they knew about it.

Hence my feeling that the best policy is to be open about production so that each individual is free to make their decision.

That way strictest vegetarians know not to eat varakh.

Less strict ones may choose to eat the product.

And those of us (including me) who are not vegetarian, will eat it but have an awareness that the product is not suitable to offer strict friends/ family.

This is an important discussion. I am reproducing from an article in Ahimsa Times- September 2007 issue-www.jainsamaj.org.

READER'S NOTES

IS VARAKH (Silver foil) VEGETARIAN? -Sandeep Shah- A couple of years ago, Indian Airlines, the domestic air-carrier of India had issued instructions to its suppliers to supply sweet without silver foil called VARAKH. Do you know why? This is what, I would like to bring to your notice. If you keenly observe this VARAKH under a microscope don't be perturbed if you happen to see traces of blood, stools and saliva of a cattle or ox. VARAKH is a silver foil and we have no second questions on this, but to prepare this VARAKH important parts of the CATTLE/OX is made use of Intestines of Cattle / OX are obtained from the slaughterhouse. This is obtained after butchering to death the cattle/ox for beef and the part, which cannot be consumed: the intestines are pulled out of the animal and handed over to the manufacturers of VARAKH. Before handing over the intestines, they are washed in the slaughterhouse to get rid of the blood and other remains on these intestines in the limited facility that is present in the Slaughterhouse. We are not sure how neatly this job is carried out. Intestines are cut into Small pieces and then are bound together as pages in a notebook.

My email address is jainshital@hotmail.com

A silver block is placed in the middle of these bound intestines, and the whole thing is Placed in a leather bag and sealed. Experts, who know how to make VARAKH, pound the bag with wooden sticks, till the entire bag flattens out. The silver block would by this time be turned into silver foil. This Silver foil would now be separated from the intestine pack and will be placed on paper. This is VARAKH, which reaches the market ready for use. Even staunch vegetarians, who shy away from egg, unknowingly consume this as a part of sweet, pan and aeronaut. Some unknowingly consume this because of the additional taste that VARAKH provides. Now the question is "Why the intestines of the cattle/ox? Why not something else?" The reason behind using the intestines of the cattle/ox for preparing the VARAKH is because of the elasticity of the intestines. They do not get cut even after a severe pounding. In India, on an average an estimate indicates that 2,75,000 kilos of "VARAKH" is consumed. Can you estimate how many cattle / ox are sacrificed for just a bit of taste? Courtesy: Sandeep Shah , Mahavir path, Baramati, 413102 E-Mail: sandeep_369@yahoo.com

Editor's Comments - According to an article written by Mrs. Maneka Gandhi and published in Rajasthan Patrika dated: 25th September, 2007, it would be alarming to know that in order to produce 1 Kg. of varakh, 12,500 animals are required to be killed, every year, 30,000 (30 tons) varakh is required every year for sweets alone, leave apart its use in other ways like, pasting on idols, using for wrapping pan, vegetables and fruits. It has been well-established that there is no material available so far which can be utilised to make varakh except fresh intestines of animals, like oxen, cows and camels. Companies and individuals proclaiming that varakh is now being made by machines is a hoax and commercial propaganda to mislead people. Industrial Toxicology research Centre has carried out a lot of studies on the micro-constituents found in varakh and they have established that varakh commonly available in the market contains small amounts of metals, like lead, chromium, nickel and cadmium which are not only poisonous but these can even lead to illness like Cancer. It is therefore high time that people, specially in India, who are so fond of consuming sweets in large quantities should think about the possible consequences and stop buying varakh and sweets which are covered with varakh. P. L. JAIN, E-Mail : pljain2006@gmail.com

Hi,

just read this article about silver varak in your website hence this information provided to me by my friend in india last year should interest you all.

As for me a non-vegeratian it does not matter as long as it is not contaminated (but then how do you know that it is contaminated???)

---

The Source of Silver Foil in Sweets :- ONE MUST READ THIS

USA, Aug 23 (VNN) - A couple of years ago, Indian Airlines, the

domestic air-carrier of India had issued instructions to its

suppliers to supply sweet without silverfoil called VARAKH. Do you

know why?

Silver is widely used for various purposes in the market today.

Silver is considered precious and its utility is enormous. The

reason behind this is that silver reflects back 95% of the light

energy that falls on it. The silver foils used for edible purposes

is called VARAKH So what's so special about VARAKH?

This is what I would like to bring to your notice.

If you keenly observe this VARAKH under a microscope don be

perturbed if you happen to see traces of blood, stools and saliva of

a cattle or ox.

VARAKH is a silver foil and we have no second questions on this, but

to prepare this VARAKH important parts of the CATTLE/OX is made use

of.

Intestines of Cattle/OX are obtained from the slaughterhouse. This

is obtained after butchering to death the cattle/ox for beef and the

part, which cannot be consumed: the intestines are pulled out of the

animal and handed over to the manufacturers of VARAKH. Before

handing over the intestines, they are washed in the slaughterhouse

to get rid of the blood and other remains on these intestines in the

limited facility that is present in the slaughterhouse. We are not

sure how neatly this job is carried out. Intestines are cut into

small pieces and then are bound together as pages in a notebook.

A silver block is placed in the middle of these bound intestines,

and the whole thing is placed in a leather bag and sealed. Experts,

who know how to make VARAKH, pound the bag with wooden sticks, till

the entire bag flattens out. The silver block would by this time be

turned into silver foil. This Silver foil would now be separated

from the intestine pack and will be placed on paper.

This is VARAKH, which reaches the market ready for use. Even staunch

vegetarians, who shy away from egg, unknowingly consume this as a

part of sweet, pan and arecanut. Some unknowingly consume this

because of the additional taste that VARAKH provides.

Now the question is "Why the intestines of the cattle/ox? Why not

something else?" The reason behind using the intestines of the

cattle/ox for preparing the VARAKH is because of the elasticity of

the intestines. They do not get cut even after a severe pounding.

This aspect is brought out in the magazine "Beauty without cruelty"

and the Television show of Maneka Gandhi, "Heads and Tails". In

India, on an average an estimate indicates that 2,75,000 kilos of

"VARAKH" is consumed. Can you estimate how many cattle/ox are

sacrificed for just a bit of taste?

If you are surprised as I am, after reading this article please

inform as many as possible so as to ensure that we unknowingly don't

consume beef.

I would like to thank the authors of this article in Taranga, a

weekly magazine in Kannada, for enlightening us.

---

hope this article clear your doubts...Rajneesh

AS AN AUTOMATION ENGINEER I HAVE WITNESSED THAT THE VARAKH MADE MADE BY KANISHKA PLATINUM GOLD AND SILVER PRODUCTS PVT.LTD. IN JAIPUR IS PURELY VEGETARIAN ( JAIN VARAKH ). THE INVENTOR OF THIS VEGETARIAN VARAKH IS A AMERICAN CITIZEN ( NRI ) AND HE MADE THE RESEARCH FOR LAST FIFTEEN YEARS . I WAS AMAZED TO SEE HIS TECHNOLOGY BY USING THE CARBON PAPER TO MAKE THE VARAKH . KSK VARAKH HAS BEEN CERTIFIED BY BEAUTY W/O CRUELITY AS 100% VEGETARIAN PRODUCT.

I HAVE SEEN THE METHODS ADOPTED BY MANY TRADITIONAL PANNIGHAR PEOPLE AND OTHER MFG. OF THE WORLD . I AM CONVIENCE THAT THIS IS THE ONLY METHOD WHERE HYGENIC VARAKH ( SILVER FOILS ) ARE MADE.

FOR ANYONE WHO WANTS TO SEE FURTHER DETAILS PLEASE VISIT THEIR WEBSITE WWW.KSKVARAKH.COM

This is very interesting Sudhir and nice to know. I wonder how can one tell which one is vegetarian when buying. The varaks I have seen in shops in india are usually sold between layers of unmarked paper/newspaper cuttings, with no manufacturer name on them!

Mamta

This is all so very interesting and informative. I just discovered your discussion so I am coming in very late. However, I wanted to add a few thoughts to consider. I was truly shocked to hear that varak is not vegan. I was looking around for places to purchase the edible silver leaf as I am considering making a vegan health product using the silver. I have studied Holistic and Ayurvedic Health for many years and in these fields, silver/ colloidal silver have important health applications ~ anti-bacterial, anti-viral and anti-fungal properties. I had seen and consumed various Indian sweets with the silver leaf. I thought it interesting and wondered about its use and is it possible that the ancients knew about the health benefits of silver? The true knowledge of its purpose may have been lost over time. Perhaps the health benefits of the varak far out weighed the concerns of how it was being made. This is all something to think about. Thanks very much for this forum. For more information on the health benefits of colloidal silver go to www.all-natural.com/silver

Dear Mamta,

Thanks a lot for putting this subject under the forum.

Helped me a lot to clear the doubts.

I would also like to thank people who have added to value to my knowledge.

Thank you once again,

Laxmi

I think a lot of us have learned from this particular topic !

Steve

iam jain,from childhood i never eat varak decorated sweets.but now a days from so many people i heard that varak making with help of animal product is old sayings. i have ate it once, but today i was shocked reading about varak making with help of cow intestine.iam really hurt with all this.

Now a days many big companies have started manufacturing varak using modern tools. So varak is now 100% veg.

mani366@gmail.com

Yes, that is true. I just hope that they write on the packet that it is vegetarian.

mamta

Varakh is suppose to be 100 % silver. However it is difficult to verify its composition. I heard that some manufacturers are using aluminum in stead of silver in their varakh products. Some varakh may contain trace amount of heavy metals such as Lead and Cadmium. How can one check the true chemical composition of varakh?

WhenI was looking up this subject.. I came across this link which states what exactly goes on when making this controversial food item.... and it really touched me... m soooooooooooooo not having varak next time I have a sweet

http://ezinearticles.com/?Why-Varak-is-Barred-by-Vegans,-Vegetarians-and-Jains?&id=4622259

when everybody is clear that vark is nv then why green symbol on the pack.

Several things spring to mind....

Where was the varakh purchased? In some European countries for instance the 'green dot' is to do with recycling packaging rather than the food content, unlike the Indian vegetarian green dot or maroon nv dot.

Is it Kanishka varakh which claims to be machine made and vegetarian? http://www.kskvarakh.com/index.htm

Are some unscruplous manafcuturers claiming the actual silver is vegetarian even though thousands of animals are slaughtered for the manufacturing process, and contamination must occur?

Hi! I have been an animal rights activist for decades now. I would like to confirm that in India Varak is made from beating the silver on sheep skin and as such is not strictly vegetarian in that sense. If you are a strict vegetarian, please avoid it.

Actually kanishka jaipur has veg varakh. KSK varakh is first silver leaf approved by "Beauty without cruelty". Visit kskvarakh.com

From what little I know and heard of is that "chandi varak" or finely beaten silver foil that is used to layer the Indian sweets is obtained by beating the silver metal in a bag or cushion made of sheep's udder. Whereas the foil itself is just silver and may not have any contact with the animal skin, to achieve the very fine thickness it has to undergo this process, a thorough beating as the blacksmith would beat a piece of hot iron plate to achieve finess. The udder skin or "leather" is strong to withstand the repeated beating without tearing-up.

One cannot declare it pure vegetarian as the manufacturing process involves use of animal matter.

I suppose if you can drink milk, eat butter and ghee, all animal products or for that matter honey why not Chandi Varak?

Nic J Money

As as I know, conventionally, the varakh was beaten in between layers of paper which was made by using intestine of oxen hence known as Non-veg. Varakh by many.

But now a days, with the introduction of new techniques, the silver is beaten by automated machines ( PLC Based) called hammers and it is beaten in Polyster Sheets. Hence the such made varakh is 100% pure and vegetarian.

Vinod K. Aggarwal

vk5436@yahoo.com

How and where to get veg varak?

I m thankful to u all. Who ve saved me frrom this. I m a pure vegeterian. My husband told me plenty of times about vark. Bt today i thought of seeing it on net. From today onwards i wont eat vark

Parul, you can buy silver 'varak' made without the use of old-fashion leather method.

Thank goodness i am not a vegetarian, like my wife, who stares into the food labels for hours all tensed up and just the mention of "varak" would send her blood pressure soaring. :D

GJ I have deleted your post, please do not copy material from elsewhere to this site. If you have a source online, you can provide a link.

THanks

I received a message regarding this and I was in shockso I searched internet and the results are highly shocking.I want to know is there any legal way to stop using this product on our sweets.

After such discussion, still any one has a doubt, read a Gujarati news paper Gujarat Samachar of 27th Oct-2013 or 3rd Nov-2013 (Exact date I do not know but of one of these two date, I am sure) there was an article of more than half page regarding how VARAK is manufactured. Hammering silver by putting between two lather pads is a last process but prior to that is also a very cruel process so it is surely non vegetarian item. One who is pure vegetarian must avoid to eat the good coated with VARAK.

Silver foil's are made with the help of BULL's Intestine .thin silver sheet are bitten under the fresh bull's intestine.it said that the bull's intestine should be always fresh . Nd for the vegetarian people its a bad news.. .

Dear Lalit Maheshwari

Your long post about the manufacture of silver varak has been deleted, because it was a copy of an article 'Varakh (Silver Foil)' by Pramoda Chitrabhanu of Jain Meditation International Center, New York from http://www.jainworld.com/

Mamta

This is a reply to the 2005 thread regarding whether edible silver leaf was vegetarian or non-veg. Here are some facts.

Traditionally, intestines of animals such as cow, buffalo, bulls etc. are used to manufacture silver leaf that is commonly used on several Indian sweets, spices such as cardamom and paan etc.

“The ‘chandi ka vark’ is made by hammering thin sheets of silver in middle of booklets made of a bull’s intestines. After slaughtering a bull, its intestines are removed immediately and sold to the manufacturers of foils.

“The foil manufacturer removes blood and stool from the intestines, and cuts them into pieces. Then he puts one piece of intestine over another, making a booklet out of it. At his home, or in the factory, he puts one silver (or gold) sheet in-between each such booklet and hammers it hard until those metal sheets turn into thin wafers,” explained a manufacturer, on condition of anonymity.”

However as of 2016, The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has banned the use of any material of animal origin in silver leaf (chandi ka varq) manufacturing process. As of present day (Oct 2017), not sure if it is being enforced.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/health/delhi-high-court-stays-order-banning-use-of-silver-leaf-made-using-animal-material/story-91LxLGhwvJuMFabICzU74N.html

Hi Mamta and friends,

While in India I would now avoid any sweets covered with varak. Why? because now some of them are using Aluminium instead of Silver. The difference being that Aluminium varak is shinier than silver. Aluminium is toxic and plays havoc with the immune system, even one should avoid aluminium utensils for cooking. In order to save some money some sweet sellers are feeding us toxins, while the authorities are slow to react. This was in the national news.

True. Most good sweet shops in India now sell burfi and similar sweets without and varak.

Mamta