Mahaprasad

                 "Prasada " cooked in the temple of lord Jagannath  becomes "Mahaprasada' after its offered first to the lord itself and then to Goddess "Vimala". Which is divine to the devotees. The food is cooked with the selected vegetables,pulse and rice, in a pre prescribed procedure.

                                                                                                                                              Mahaprasad or the sacred food offered to Lord Jagannath is the most delicious and yummiest  food for an Odia.
The temple kitchen considered as the largest kitchen in the whole world. Its believed that  all the food items prepared in the "roshasala' is supervised by Goddesses Mahalaxmi. There are 56 types of food offered to the deities daily.It is cooked only in earthen pots and the cooking medium is fire wood only.
         People of Orissa preserves the dry "Mahaprasad" or known as 'Nirmalya"to take even an iota,after taking daily bath and while performing puja. In all social and religious rituals of Orissa household it plays a very important role.

                                         Once i saw a unique drink  called "tankatorani"being made in "Ananda Bazar". Kids hardly age 10 -12 gathering the remnants of the anna "Mahaprasad" in a earthen pot called as "kudua". Pouring water from the nearest hand pump,squeezing lemons,some ripened mango stones and salt into it. And all most every boy was stirring it with his hand dipped upto shoulder level. While we were waiting for that days' "Mahaprasad" ,we were gaining some valuable experience about the making of "Tankatorani"!!! When they wanted to taste it for the salt and lemon, they used to took out their hand and lick it till the elbow to prevent the water from flowing down! And the surprising thing was, soon people flocked there to taste that "divine beverage" . Yes the beverage is "divine" now,as it has the "Mahaprasad" in it.
                     there s a saying in odia"BISWAS MULE YE JAGAT" . and that day I realised it.

JAY JAGANNATH.


        

 

About Orissa

             Orissa ( Odisa, Odisha, Kalinga,Utkal, Magadha) is a state of India. Located on the  coast along the Bay of Bengal,Orissa with a rich heritage,that is more than two thousand years old ,has a glorious history of its own.

        Odisha is the ninth largest state by area in india and eleventh largest state by population. Oriya is the mother tongue of the people. Maximum of them understand hindi.English is spoken and understood by the educated mass.