Puri Srimandir Mahaprasad price goes up 3 times, devotees cry foul

After having a darshan of the Holy Trinity at the Srimandir in Puri, devotees wish to get the Mahaprasad of Lord Jagannath. However, before the start of the Holy ‘Kartika’ month, the prices of the Mahaprasad and other prasads have gone up threefold causing severe inconvenience to devotees.

As per sources, the unprecedented rise was after the temple administration decided that only OMFED ghee would be used in the preparation of Mahaprasad and other prasads in Srimandir.

A meal for one person consisting of rice, dal and besar (vegetable curry) that used to cost around Rs 100 is now available for over Rs 200 in Ananda Bazar. Similarly, the price of ‘sukhili bhoga’ consisting of ‘pitha’ and ‘khaja’ has also tripled. While ‘khaja’ was earlier available at Rs 5 per piece, it is now being sold at Rs 15. Similarly the prices of ‘pitha’ and ‘amalu’ have gone up from Rs 15 to Rs 30 and Rs 30 to Rs 50, respectively.

Several devotees and servitors of Lord Jagannath have expressed their resentment over the development.

“Now, it has become very difficult for a middle-class family to afford Mahaprasad. Earlier, Mahaprasad was available for Rs 100. However, the price has gone up threefold. The administration has no control over the Mahaprasad distribution system,” rued a devotee of Lord Jagannath in Puri.

“The administration just wrote the letter on Tuesday. There is no justification for the exorbitant price rise overnight and the Suara Mahasuara Nijoga should look into it,” said senior Daitapati servitor Binayak Das Mohapatra.

Meanwhile, devotees are intrigued by the questions of why and how prices of Sukhili and Sankhudi bhogas shot up overnight? Why did the prices of Abaddha, Pitha and Khaja go up threefold?

According to Mahasuara Nijoga Secretary, Ganeswar Mahasuara, earlier, only Kotha Bhoga offered to the deities were cooked with OMFED ghee. He further said that the prices have gone up as the temple administration has now ordered to cook ‘Baradi’ and other bhogas with OMFED ghee as well.

“OMFED ghee costs around Rs 563 per kg. Under the circumstances, how will it be possible to sell bhogas at the old price?” asked Mahasuara.

The Nijoga has demanded to set up an OMFED ghee depot for the temple and provide ghee at subsidised rates to keep the price of the bhogas suitable for the devotees.

In response to the development, Puri Collector Siddharth Shankar Swain could not provide any specific clarification.

“Earlier ghee of different companies was used to prepare bhogas in Srimandir. In a meeting held in last month, it was decided that only OMFED ghee will be used to prepare prasad. Effort is underway to set up rate chart at different times to bring discipline in Ananda Bazar,” said Swain.

Meanwhile, Odisha Law Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan said, “There will be no question of impurity in the case of Srimandir prasads and diyas. Ghee from other companies will not be used except OMFED. Apart from us, it will also assure the devotees as far as purity is concerned.”

Notably, the use of ghee from the OMFED at Srimandir has been made mandatory in the wake of the controversy surrounding the quality of laddus prepared at Tirupati temple.