The chief priest of the Ram Mandir Trust – Acharya Satyendra Das – shared that the first offering made to the deity of Ram Lalla following the praan pratishtha ceremony yesterday, was a thali of 56 offerings or chhapan bhog. Including a variety of delicacies like makhan-misri, kheer, jalebi-rabri, mathri, panjiri, pakodas, ghewar and dry fruits among other things, the offering is usually prepared for special occasions across Krishna temples in India.
The honour of preparing the sacred thali offering was handed over to a Lucknow-based business called Madhurima Sweets, whose owner, Sajal Gupta had been sending offerings to the temple long before its inauguration, every new year. At the special request of the Mahant – or head priest – Gupta brought in the dishes that were planned to be one of the first offerings made to the deity after the divine rituals, all the way from Lucknow.
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In addition to the sweet and savoury dishes, the thali also consists of milk and ghee-based sweets, as well as fruits. Once it was delivered to the chief priest’s residence, the food was offered to the deity after it was placed in the sanctum sanctorum. Other dishes of the chhapan bhog also included chakram malpua, wheat porridge, tambul, ladoo, rasgulla, murabba, betel nuts and cardamom. Preceding to the details about this luxurious offering, a paan shop in Hanumangarhi also received an order to supply 551 special paan as an offering to the presiding deity. The ceremony, which was performed by PM Modi, along with a team of priests led by Laxmikant Dixit, unveiled the face of the deity portraying Lord Ram’s child form yesterday among plenty of celebrations.