Revival of Laddu Peda Counters at UP's Kashi Vishwanath Temple, Will Now Be Sold As Sweets, Not Mahaprasad

Devotees visiting the Kashi Vishwanath Temple can once again enjoy laddu-peda prasad, prepared by the Bela Papad Group and Mahalaxmi Traders. On Friday night, these two organizations resumed their counters within the temple premises, marking the return of a tradition that had been established over the past five years, during which they supplied Mahaprasadam at the temple.

The decision to reinstate these counters was made by the Temple Trust CEO in response to financial losses experienced by the organizations and disruptions in the supply of Prasad. However, it is important to note that the laddu-peda sold at these counters will no longer be labeled as “Mahaprasadam,” but simply referred to as sweets.

Kashi Vishwanath Nyas revoked their permission to supply Prasad

For five years, the Shri Kashi Vishwanath Temple Trust had relied on Mahalaxmi Traders, led by Ashok Kumar Seth, and the Bela Papad Self Help Group, headed by Sunita Agarwal, to prepare Mahaprasadam for devotees. Together, they produced around 1,000 kilograms of Mahaprasadam daily, employing approximately 40-50 workers per shift and providing livelihoods to about 100 people. However, on October 10, the Kashi Vishwanath Nyas unexpectedly revoked their permission to supply Prasad.

In a recent development, a new prasad counter was introduced on the occasion of Vijay Dashami, featuring Tandul Mahaprasad prepared by Gujarat’s Banas Dairy, a subsidiary of Amul. These laddus are being sold at Rs 120 for a 200-gram pack and have become the officially recognized prasad of the temple.

Local organizations protested

The transition to Amul as the primary supplier sparked protests from the local organizations, who met with CEO Vishwabhushan Mishra and Commissioner Kaushal Raj Sharma to discuss the financial ramifications of the abrupt change. Both organizations had made significant investments in raw materials, which became unusable due to the decision, leaving many women who relied on this work without jobs.

Following these discussions, temple officials permitted the Bela Papad Group and Mahalaxmi Traders to set up their counters again, albeit with the stipulation that their laddu-peda would not be promoted as Mahaprasad. They will be sold as regular sweets, without any direct encouragement for devotees to purchase them as temple prasad.

Devotees returned enthusiastically to the counters

Despite this alteration, devotees returned enthusiastically to the counters, purchasing laddu-peda as soon as the stalls reopened. Various types of prasad can be seen on sale at different counters throughout the temple, with no vendor required to pay a fee for their offerings.

CEO Vishwabhushan Mishra reiterated that the official prasad of the temple is now Tandul Mahaprasad, prepared by Amul, which has been allocated a prime location outside the temple gate. Thus, only Tandul Mahaprasad holds the official status of temple prasad, while the local organizations continue to sell their products as sweets.