PURI, ORISSA, INDIA, July 7, 2002: The biggest temple kitchen in the world has suffered a huge loss because one cook didn’t observe the proper rituals. Authorities of the Jagannath temple of Puri in Orissa destroyed US$50,000 worth of cooked offerings for the presiding Deity, stating it had not been prepared according to prescribed rituals. The offering, or mahaprasada, consisting of 56 vegetarian dishes, is prepared daily at the Jagannath temple. Every day, nearly 25,000 devotees eat the food after it is offered to the deity. The food was destroyed after some priests complained to chief temple servitor Bhitarchhi Mohapatra that the temple cook, or supakar, had not observed some post-cooking rituals. This was an unprecedented event in the past thirty years! Since the preparation process did not follow the correct procedure, Mohapatra suggested that the entire food be destroyed (probably fed to the animals). This resulted in the suspension of all the rituals at the famous temple on Saturday. But the rituals started as usual on Sunday. During festivals, the temple kitchen, considered to be the biggest of its kind, prepares food for nearly 100,000 people.
A daily summary of world news for Hindus and non-Hindus alike