Indore: Over 10 lakh devotees attended probably the largest ever ‘Nagar Bhoj’ in Pran Pratishtha Festival of the idol of Lord Hanuman at Pitreshwar Hanuman Dham on Tuesday.
The grand Nagar Bhoj was organised on one side of the road on the seven km long road from Bada Ganapati to Shri Pitreswar Hanuman Dham. The other side was kept open for commuters.
BJP general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya, while inviting the devotees at the city camp, said, “There is a seating arrangement of 2.5 lakh people at Pitreshwar Dham itself. The 9-day Pran Pratishtha Samaroh concluded with this grand event.”
Team of 25,000 prepared & served Prasad
Apart from Indore, chefs from Ratlam, Dahod, Kota, Jaipur, Banswara and Jaipur also helped in preparing the Prasad. Onion and garlic were not used in food.
Overall, the big-kitchen for the festival was handled by 25,000 chefs and waiters, including women from Indore and nearby areas. Women were serving Prasad as a symbol of Mata Annapurna.
During the fest, one thousand workers were deployed at 10 places to serve people. For each group preparing Prasad, there were 10 chefs.
Prasad preparation
The Prasad prepared for Nagar Bhoj was made from desi ghee. It included Puri, Rambhaji's (a unique blend of vegetable), and sweet boondi (sweetened and fried chickpea flour). The desi ghee was prepared from fat of cow’s milk. About 2,000 cans of pure ghee, 90 tank oil, 1,000 quintal flour, 1,000 quintal sugar, 500 quintal gram flour, 500 quintal potato, 500 quintal vegetable were used to prepare the Prasad. Apart from this, 500 kg of spices and other food items were also used.
Where was Prasad prepared?
Prasad was prepared in Hansdas Math, Narsingh Vatika, Vyas Bagchi, Community Complex near HP Godown, Mehndi Complex, Panchsheel Nagar, Bijasan Temple, Gomtagiri, Gandhi Nagar and Shri Pitreshwar Hanuman Dham.
For the special sweetened Bhoondi, preparations had begun on Monday night. Further, vegetable cutting and other preparations also began on Monday night.
Special staff for cleanliness & traffic
Vijayvargiya quoted the importance of cleanliness citing various examples and lessons from scriptures. Starting from 4 pm to late night till Nagar Bhoj concluded, more than 5,000 people were deployed to ensure that devotees and commuters have no problem.
Some of them also volunteered to help traffic police to maintain traffic in the area.
IMC (Indore municipal corporation) garbage vehicles were also stationed in the area. A separate fee was deposited in the corporation for sweepers and vehicles, who ensured cleanliness in the area.
About 20 tankers were stationed for Nagar Bhoj for devotees. They were sent by the sarpanches of the surrounding village. One tanker was also sent by IMC.
