plate contains shaped sugar candy moulds (sakkare acchu, ಸಕ್ಕರೆ ಅಚ್ಚು) with a piece of sugarcane. there is a saying in kannada "ellu bella thindu olle maathadi" that translates to 'eat the mixture of sesame seeds and jaggery and speak only good.' this festival signifies the harvest of the season, since
on the ground with chalk or flour, called rangoli or muggu in telugu , in front of their homes. these drawings are decorated with flowers, colours and small, hand-pressed piles of cow dung, called gobbemma. for this festival all families prepare chekkalu, chakralu, arisalu, buralu, gavvalu, purnalu,...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Makar_Sankranti