Change of ‘prasad’ at Gujarat’s famous Ambaji Temple angers devotees

A bitter controversy has erupted over the decision of Gujarat’s famous Ambaji Temple, which draws pilgrims from across the country and abroad, to change the ‘prasad’ of Mohanthal ( made from gram flour, ghee and sugar) being sold to devotees for over five decades to Chikki, made from jaggery and peanuts and sesame. 

Not only several Hindu organisations and devotees but also some lawyers’ association as well as the Gujarat Congress party and a section of the BJP have expressed their protest over this decision to offer Chikki instead of Mohanthal, which they say is associated with the faith of lakhs of Hindu pilgrims to Goddess Ambaji.

Senior Congress leader and legislator Amit Chawda led a delegation of Congress members to the State-run Gujarat Pavitra Yatradham Board and demanded that this “sudden unexplainable” decision should be withdrawn forthwith. Later speaking to reporters, Chawda alleged, “The decision raises doubts of giving away the Chikki manufacturing contracts to ‘friends of BJP’ just like airports, ports and power installations. There seems to be no other explanation for this decision.”  

A section of lawyers' associations has even threatened to move the Gujarat High Court if the temple authorities don’t withdraw this decision. 

The temple authorities, meanwhile, told a section of the Gujarati media that Mohanthal has a very short shelf-life and needs to be consumed within a few days and this makes it difficult for them to send out packages of the prasad to other States and several countries. As against this, Chikki could be eaten for months and could be conveniently exported to other States and countries. This was the reason it was decided to replace Mohanlal with Chikki. 

A local Congress MLA Kanti Kharadi blamed the BJP Government for this decision to replace Mohanthal. "There are seven people in the trust and they are working on the instructions of the BJP. This has hurt the sentiments of the devotees, who have been offering Mohanthal to the Goddess as well as among themselves. They can’t stand this idea of Chikki as prasad,” he says. 

Meanwhile, Gujarat state BJP spokesperson Yagnesh Dave tweeted that “personally as a Brahmin I am against Chikki being used as a prasad instead of Mohanthal.”