Rosaghara

Mahaprasad (Large)

Rosaghara is a traditional kitchen of Jagannath temple, Puri, Odisha, India. It is world's largest kitchen.[1] [2] [3] [4] The food is cooked by suaras (also known as mahasuara or supakara), a sect that is given the charge since the beginning of the temple.[5] The food cooked in rosaghara is vegetarian and use of onion, garlic, potatoes and bottle gourd are not allowed.[6] A particular kind of earthenware known as kudua are used for cooking. Water drawn from two wells near the kitchen called Ganga and Jamuna are used for cooking. Over 500 varieties of food raja bhoga, chatra bhoga and jajamani bhoga are cooked that are offered to Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra in the temple pedestal ratnabedi and food offering pedestal Bhoga Mandapa five times a day.[7] Chapana bhoga, 56 varieties of cooked food are offered almost every day.[8] Kotha Bhoga or Abadha that is offered as lunch around 1 in the afternoon is the most important food. The food, after being offered to Jagannath, is sold at Ananda bajara as abadha.Ananda bajara is an open market, located to the North-east of the Singhadwara (major entrance) inside the temple complex. Every day food for over 5000-10000 is cooked where in special occasions food for over 10 million people is cooked in rosaghara.[9] There are two passages to the food out from the kitchen; the first one leads to bhoga mandapa for larger kotha bhoga and chatra bhoga, and the other one leading to the inner sanctuary of the temple for the kotha bhoga offering.[10] Except the suaras no one is allowed to go near the kitchen or even touch the food until they are offered at the traid of the temple.[7]

Location

The rosaghara is located in the temple's south-east direction in the outer compound.[7]

Cooking space

It is 150 feet long, 100 feet wide and about 20 feet high. There are 32 rooms with 250 earthen hearths within. Around 600 chefs known as suaras and 400 assistants together cook every day There are three types of hearths in the kitchen; Anna Chuli the rice hearth, Ahia Chuli and Pitha Chuli the dessert hearth. The rice hearth is 4 feet long 2.5 feet wide and 2 feet high. The rectangular space created between two rice hearths is known as Ahia. Lentil and other curries like Besara, mahura are cooked in the Ahia Chuli. There are ten cement-based Pitha chuli in rosaghara.[9]

History

Legend

The legends say that the mahasuaras work is supervised by Lakshmi where there is custom to promptly burying and starting a new batch of food if Lakshmi has any displeasure with the cooking.[5]

References

  1. ↑ "Sri Jagannath". Retrieved 2006-09-12.
  2. ↑ Karan, Jajati (2009). "God's own kitchen vies for no record - India News - IBNLive". ibnlive.in.com. Retrieved 2 July 2012. the Jagannath temple in Puri has the world’s largest kitchen that can feed more than one lakh people at a time
  3. ↑ "The Sampradaya Sun - Independent Vaisnava News - Feature Stories - June 2011". harekrsna.com. 2011. Retrieved 26 June 2012. Not only is it the largest temple kitchen in the world
  4. ↑ "Amazing Orissa". nilachakra.org. 2011. Archived from the original on 26 March 2011. Retrieved 2 July 2012. The Jagannath temple kitchen at Puri is reputed to be the largest kitchen in the world
  5. 1 2 "Kitchen of Lord Jagannath - Devotee Care Center". devoteecare.fullorissa.com. 2012. Retrieved 28 September 2012. If the dog is seen, all the food must be buried and prepared again
  6. ↑ "Jagannath Temple, Jagannath Puri, Jagannath Temple Puri, Jagannath Temple of Puri, Jagannath Temple Odisha, Jagannath Temple Orissa". visitodisha.net. 2012. Retrieved 28 September 2012. The Prasad is prepared in a very traditional way, without using onion, garlic, chillies
  7. 1 2 3 Narayan Miśra (1 January 2007). Annals and Antiquities of the Temple of Jagannātha. Sarup & Sons. pp. 120–. ISBN 978-81-7625-747-3.
  8. ↑ M.K.V. Narayan (1 January 2009). Exploring the Hindu Mind: Cultural Reflections and Symbolisms. Readworthy. pp. 248–. ISBN 978-93-5018-101-0.
  9. 1 2 Saroj Kumar, Panda (2006). The Kitchen of Srimandir: Biggest in the World (PDF). Bhubaneswar: Department of Information and Public Relations, Government of Odisha. p. 80-81. Retrieved 26 November 2015.
  10. ↑ L.S.S. O'malley (1 January 2007). Bengal District Gazetteer : Puri. Concept Publishing Company. pp. 118–. ISBN 978-81-7268-138-8.

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