[7] Early mentions of modaka are found in Ayurveda, Ramayana and Mahabharata where it is described as a dumpling confectionery with sweet stuffing.

Sangam literature similarly mentions modakas as rice dumplings filled with sweet stuffing that were also sold by street vendors in the ancient city of Madurai.

[8][9] The medieval Manasollasa culinary text explains that modakas, as prepared with rice flour and a sweet stuffing with aromatic spices such as cardamom and camphor, were called Varsopalagolakas because they looked like hailstones.

It is known by different names by different linguistic communities, such as modak in Marathi (मोदक), nevri in Konkani (नेवरी), mandaa in Odia (ମଣ୍ଡା), kadubu in Kannada (ಕಡುಬು), kozhukattai in Tamil (கொழுக்கட்டை), kozhukatta in Malayalam (കൊഴുക്കട്ട), jilledukayalu in Telugu (జిల్లేడుకాయలు).

[15] In Japan, a sweet similar to modak that replaced cinnamon with cardamom and known locally as kangidan (歓喜団), is offered to both the god Kangiten, the Japanese equivalent of Ganesh.

They are wrapped in kneaded dough made from parched flour and shaped like a bun before they are deep fried.

[16] However, as the majority of Japanese are non-religious, it can be eaten on any occasion such as Shōgatsu, Culture Day, Christmas, Halloween, birthdays and retirement parties.