Prasad sold in Chhattisgarh’s Maa Bamleshwari Devi temple revealed to being made in a poultry farm

• Numerous packets of Prasad (offering) seized

• Poultry farm owned by Mazhar Khan

Maa Bamleshwari Devi temple, Chhattisgarh

Rajnandgaon (Chhattisgarh) – On 26th September, a team from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) raided ‘Avon Traders’ poultry farm in Raka village, where they discovered numerous packets of Prasad. This Prasad is supplied to shops in the vicinity of the famous Shaktipeeth, Maa Bamleshwari Devi temple in Dongargarh. The poultry farm was reportedly producing Prasad using cardamom seeds. It was found that a factory was operating within an estimated area of 5,000 square feet for making Prasad. The Prasad was being produced under the name ‘Shri Bhog Prasad’. The owner of the poultry farm is said to be Mazhar Khan.

1. The packets containing the cardamom seeds had labels stating, ‘Produced in a clean and pure environment’. However, the area where the Prasad was being made also housed poultry farming. The FDA team collected samples of the cardamom seeds. During initial enquiries, the FDA officials did not find any permit documents related to the production of cardamom seeds.

2. Rajnandgaon District Food and Safety Officer Domenra Dhruv confirmed that cardamom seeds were being processed at the poultry farm and noted that a large number of Prasad packets had been seized. He stated that the operational factory was unregistered and that significant irregularities were observed in the packaging, lacking standards, dates, and batch numbers.

3. Chhattisgarh State Government has become vigilant following the discovery of adulterated Prasad at the Tirupati Balaji temple in Andhra Pradesh. The Government has issued guidelines mandating the use of only pure ghee in Prasad preparation.

No organisation has been given a contract to make Prasad : Temple Trust

Manoj Agarwal, president of the Bamleshwari Temple Trust in Dongargarh, said that no tenders are issued for Prasad at Maa Bamleshwari temple. There is no rule that Prasad made by a particular organisation or factory only will be provided. Throughout the year, coconuts offered by devotees are distributed as Prasad. During the Navratri festival, when breaking coconuts in the temple premises is prohibited, sugar is offered instead.

Editorial Perspective

It is essential for the Government to establish an independent system to verify the purity and sanctity of food items distributed as Prasad in Hindu temples !