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It is also said that if mother Laxmi is displeased with
the preparations by the cooks, a dog will appear
mysteriously on the temple grounds. If the dog is seen,
all the food must be buried and prepared again. As no
dog is allowed to enter the temple, this dog is said to
be Kutama Chandi, a tantric goddess in change of
purification of food.
Four types of cooking are prepared in the Kitchen of
Srimandir. Those are Bhimapaka, Nalapaka, Souripaka and
Gouripaka. The items of Bhimapaka consists Badatiana,
Gudakhuara, Pakala Nadia Rasa, Purapitha,Biripitha and
Gudakanji. In Nalapaka, items like Sakara, Tianlapara,
Adanga and different types of sweet drinks are prepared.
Souripaka items include Mahura, Deshialubhaja,
Kadalibhaja, Adapachedi, Ghialabanga and varieties of
cakes. In Gouripaka, Mugatiana, Leutia, Kosala and
Madhura Lalita Saga items are cooked.
In the Kitchen of Srimandir, four types of rice
are prepared. These are Salianna, Khiraanna, Dadhianna
and Sitalaanna. Sunakhila rice cooks along with ghee and
Phalatabha Kharada Lavana to get Salianna. For geeting
Khiraanna alongwith Basumati rice, cow milk, ghee and
Kharada Lavana are mixed and cooked. Similarly plain
rice mixed with curd, Dhdhianna is prepared and rice
mixed with Tabharasa and Kharada Lavana; Sitalaanna is
prepared.
The food in the temple Kitchen is prepared in
such a pure way and with deep devotion; great spiritual
impact is felt, both by those who cook and those who
eat. The unique feature is that, clay pots are placed in
a special earthen oven, five in numbers, one on the top
of another. Yet the one on the top is cooked first.
There are two wells in the temple complex for the
purpose of supplying water to the Kitchen. These are
named as Ganga and Jamuna and both are near the kitchen
itself. The radius of the well is more that 10 feet and
depth is 100 feet each.
All the necessary commodities for the temple Kitchen are
brought from Mahalaxmi Bhandar, which runs by Suara
Nijoga Cooperative Society. The earthen pots used for
cooking foods are provided by Kumbhakara and nearby
areas supply these pots to the temple Kitchen. The
required timber for the kitchen was previously supplied
from different forests of the State. But after
nationalisation of forests, these State Forest
Corporation is providing timbers for cooking purpose.
Daily 5,000 persons may be fed, but on big
festival days, one to ten million may be accommodated.
The temple Kitchen of Lord Jagannath is therefore
considered to be the biggest hotel in the World, serving
all without reservation or previous notice.
Saroj Kumar Panda
Principal of Gadibrahma College, Delang, Puri. |
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