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Mahaprasad of Lord
jagannath |
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Four hallowed shrines located at cardinal points of the
Indian sub-continent i.e. Puri,Rameswar,Dwarika and
Badrinath are believed to have been liked by Lord Vishnu
intimately. It is said and believed that He takes His
bath at Rameswaram, meditates at Badrinath,dines at Puri
and retires at Dwarika.It is therefore,a lot of
importance is given to the temple food "Mahaprasad" (not
simply prasad) here at Puri.
According to " Skanda Purana" Lord Jagannath redeems
the devotees by permitting them to partake his
Mahaprasad,to have His darshan and to worship him by
observing rituals and by offering of gifts .Mahaprasad
is treated here as 'Anna Brahma'. The temple kitchen has
got the capacity to cook for a lakh of devotees on a
day. Mahaprasad is cooked only in earthen pots and
medium of food is fire wood only. The steam-cooked food
is offered to Lord Jagannath first and then to Goddess
Bimala after which it becomes Mahaprasad.This Mahaprasad
is freely partaken by people of all castes and creeds
without any discrimination.The items offered include
cooked rice, dal, vegetable curry, sweet-dishes, cakes
etc. Dry confectionaries are prepared of sugar,gur,wheat
flour,ghee,milk and cheese etc.
For
Puja and Order Mahaprasad from Puri Click here
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For Puja and Order Mahaprasad from
Puri |
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When the steam cooked food is carried to Lord in slings
of earthen pots no flavor comes up from the food but
when the same is carried back to the sale point after
being offered to the Lord a delicious smell spells along
in the breeze to the pleasant surprise of the devotees.
Now the food is blessed.
Mahaprasad consolidates human bond, sanctifies
sacraments and grooms the departing soul for its journey
upwards.
Mahaprasad are sold in Anand Bazar or the Pleasure Mart
of the temple which is situated on the north east corner
of the outer enclosure of the temple. It is the biggest
open-air hotel in the world where every day thousands of
devotees purchase and eat together forgetting their
caste, creed and status.
Most of the residents in and around Puri depend upon
this Mahaprasad to entertain their guests during social
functions such as threading and weddings.
The tourists prefer to carry a particular type of dry
Mahaprasad known as" Khaja" (made of maida, sugar and
ghee) which stays fresh for days together.
Dried rice Mahaprasad known as “Nirmalya” is also used
by devotees and tourists for different sacred occasions.
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Bhoga means food sanctified by being offering to a
god, while food made holy by presentation to
Jagannath goes under the name of mahaprasad. The
latter term properly means any food offered to
Jagannath, whether cooked or uncooked, rice or
other food, but properly it is used only for
cooked rice, pulses, vegetables, tamarind,
presentations of the same, and sweetmeats, but not
for edible fruit. The bhogas are of two kinds, the
kothobhoga or offerings made from the temple funds
and the Raja’s house, and chhattra bhoga, or
offerings made by math's or private persons.
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About half of the kothobhoga
mahaprasad is given as remuneration to the officiating priests, and
the rest is sold, the sale proceeds being credited to the account of
the Raja of Puri. It is reported by the Manager that the whole of
the kothobhoga is regarded as part of the Raja’s perquisites, from
which he allows a portion to the priests. The food is cooked in the
temple Kitchens by the Suars, and is thence removed by a covered
passage to the inner sanctuary in the case of ordinary kothobhogas,
and to the Bhogamandapa in the case of larger kothobhogas and
chhatrabhogas. When the food is being presented to the gods, the
priests on duty utter mantras, fans and fly-flaps (chamars) are
waved, and music is played. |
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Except the Suars
and the priests, none can touch the pots; otherwise they become
unfit for presentation before the god and have to be thrown away.
But on the completion of worship, the food becomes mahaprasad, and
then can be touched by anybody and offered even by men of low caste
to Brahmans and others of high caste. The mahaprasad thus prepared
(minus the quantity retained by the Raja and the priests on duty) is
offered for sale at Sarghara, a place outside the inner enclosure on
the way to the Snanavedi. Here the pilgrims or their Pandas
employees buy and take the pots to the lodging-houses. The cooking
is generally well done; but if kept for more than a day, as is
usually the case during the Car Festival, the food putrefies and
becomes unfit for consumption.
For
Puja and Order Mahaprasad from Puri Click here
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Daily offering
Mahaprasad of lord Jagannath
Chhapan Bhog of
Lord Jagannath |
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