Puri Jagannath Temple: The Lord Jagannath Temple in Puri, Odisha, is not only a pilgrimage site but also filled with many mysteries. One of these mysteries is the Jagannath Temple kitchen, which is considered miraculous. The Jagannath Puri kitchen is said to be the largest temple kitchen in the world, spanning approximately 44,000 square feet. It’s not just a cooking space, but Goddess Lakshmi herself resides here.
Mahaprasad is prepared daily in the kitchen of the Jagannath Puri temple for millions of devotees. But the most remarkable feature of this kitchen is that, despite the increasing number of devotees, the Mahaprasad never runs out.
The Mystery of the Utensils
In the Jagannath Puri kitchen, earthen pots are stacked one on top of the other over a wood fire to cook the Prasad. But the surprising thing here is that the vessel placed on top of this griddle is the first to cook. After this, one vessel after another is cooked, considered nothing short of a miracle.
Blessings of Goddess Lakshmi
According to beliefs, the Mahaprasad is blessed by Goddess Lakshmi and Goddess Annapurna. It is also said that if the cooks preparing the Prasad become even slightly arrogant, or if the purity of the Prasad is even slightly compromised, the earthen pots break for some reason. This shows that food should be cooked only with devotion and dedication.
Prasad is never short
Fifty-six offerings are prepared daily in Jagannath Puri. But the temple administration does not measure or weigh them. Despite this, whether the number of devotees is 20,000 or 200,000, the Mahaprasad here is never short or wasted.
Devotees believe that Lord Jagannath’s will prepares this prasad. This food is first offered to Lord Jagannath and then distributed as Mahaprasad to the people.