Not all Indian festivals involve only fasting and a vow of quiet (maun vrat). The other variety also exists, some of which also involve heavenly dining. One of them is the annual Jagannath Rath Yatra that takes place in the state of Odisha at Puri. If you've ever thought that a feast is only about deep-fried foods, hot curries, and plates full of meat dishes, you're dead wrong. There is much more to the Rath Yatra festival than merely the gastronomic treats we enjoy today.
What is Chappan Bhog?
The 56 different food dishes that were presented to the lotus-eyed lord, Lord Jagannath, are known as "Chhappan Bhog." The food/offering to the god is known as bhog. This daily sacrifice to Lord Jagannath at the Shri Jagannath Temple consists of 56 different foods. In the Sri Mandir, the Bhog/Naivedya is first offered to Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra, and Goddess Subhadra before being presented to Maa Bimala. What is left over after the Nivedana has been accepted by the God is referred to as "Mahaprasad." In the "Skanda Purana," Lord Jagannath purifies his followers by allowing them to partake of his mahaprasad and worship him.
The temple kitchen has got the capacity to cook for one lakh people each day. It is said to be the largest kitchen in the world.Mahaprasad is cooked only in earthen pots and the medium of food is fire and wood only. There are 240 fireplaces and 600 cooks who cook varieties of rice, vegetables, and sweets for Lord Jagannath. The fire is lit from the Homa sacrificial fire. The Mahaprasad of Jagannath is so sacred that, it is believed, anyone can eat from a pot that someone has already eaten from. The beauty of the Mahaprasada is it does not spoil even if retained for a long period of time and it remains hot for a long time.This Mahaprasad is allowed to be consumed by people of all castes and creeds without any discrimination.
There are six sets of offerings which are made throughout different meal hours. Here is the complete list of the 56 dishes of chhappan bhog :
- Gopala Vallabha Bhoga (8.30 AM)
- Sakala Dhupa (10.00 AM)
- Bhoga Mandapa Bhoga (11.00 AM)
- Madhyanha Dhupa (12.30 PM to 1.00 PM)
- Sandhya Dhupa (7.00 PM to 8.00 PM)
- Bada Srungara Bhoga (11.00 PM)
Making 56 dishes is definitely not an easy task. But it is believed that Goddess Laxmi supervises the meal and assures that it is prepared with the utmost devotion and care.
- Rice dishes –
- Sadha Anna – Simple Rice cooked in water.
- Dahi Pakhala – Water rice mixed with curd.
- Kanika – Flavoured rice with ghee and sugar.
- Thali Khichudi – Yellow rice mixed with lentil, ghee and sugar.
- Ada Pakhala – Water rice with grated ginger.
- Ghea Anna – Rice mixed with Ghee.
- Mitha Pakhala – Water rice mixed with sugar.
- Odia Pakhala – Water rice mixed with ghee, lemon and salt.
- Khecudi – Rice mixed with Lentil.
- Sweets dishes –
- Khaja – A sweet dish prepared from basic ingredients like maida. These are layered fritters, soaked in sugar syrup.
- Gaja – A sweet dish made of wheat which is fried and then soaked in sugar syrup.
- Ladu – A delicious round shaped sweet dish made with flour, sugar and ghee.
- Jeera Ladu – A ladoo prepared with cumin seeds, lemon juice, sugar and salt.
- Magaja Ladu – An extremely flavoursome ladoo made with gram flour, ghee, milk and sugar.
- Mathapuli – A special sweet dish made of Ghee, beans ground into a thick paste and Ginger.
- Khuruma – It is made of sugar, wheat, ghee and Salt.
- Jagannath Ballav – An item made of wheat, sugar and ghee which is black in color.
- Kakara – A famous Odia cuisine made of ghee, sugar, grated coconut and wheat.
- Luni Khuruma – It is basically a salty buscuit made of ghee, wheat, and salt.
- Marichi Ladu – A type of ladoo made with wheat and sugar.
- Pitha, Manda
- Suar Pitha – It is made of wheat and ghee.
- Chadai Lada – A sweet dish made of wheat, ghee, and sugar.
- Jhilli – A famous sweet cuisine made of rice Flour, ghee and sugar.
- Kanti – Made of rice Flour and ghee
- Manda – It is a type of cake which is made of rice, coconut, jaggery, cheese and ghee.
- Amalu – An item made of wheat, sugar and ghee.
- Puri – A deep fried item made of flour and ghee. Basically a kind of bread.
- Luchi – A pancake-like item made of maida and ghee that is deep fried.
- Dahi Bara – A dish made of Biri/Urad dal and then deep fried. It is dipped in curd.
- Bara – A fried item made with Biri dal and ghee.
- Arisa – A flat cake made of rice flour, sugar and ghee.
- Tripuri – Another flat cake made of rice, flour, sugar and ghee.
- Rosapaik – A cake made with wheat and ghee.
- Milk preparations
- Khiri – A dessert made of milk, and sugar with rice.
- Papudi – An item prepared from only the cream of milk.
- Khua –A dessert prepared out of Pure milk slowly boiled over many hours to a soft custard-like consistency.
- Rasabali – A famous sweet dish made of milk, sugar, and wheat.
- Tadia –A traditional and famous Odia cuisine made of fresh cheese, sugar, and ghee.
- Chhena Khai – It is made of fresh cheese, milk, and sugar.
- Bapudi Khaja –Made from the cream of milk, sugar, and ghee.
- Khua Manda –It is made of milk, wheat, and ghee.
- Sarapulli – This is the most famous milk dish prepared and the most difficult too. It is mainly made of pure milk boiled for hours.
- Dal & Curries
- Biri Dali – A simple dal made of biri/urad.
- Chana dali – A simple dal made of chana.
- Mitha dali – A thick dal made from arhar dal (Pigeon pea/Legume) made with sugar and is sweet in taste.
- Muga Dali – It is a type of odia dish prepared with lentil dal.
- Dalama – It is a typical Odia dish which is a combination of many types of dal and vegetables such as: Baigana (Eggplant), Kakharu (Pumpkin), Bean, Kanda Mula (sweet potato), Coconut, Bodhi (a dried root vegetable that looks like a mushroom) with hing (asafoetida). Tomatoes (Bilati Baigana )are not used in Puri Abhada as it’s a foreign vegetable.
- Raita – A yogurt dish with radish, cucumber,salt and curd.
- Besar- A vegetable curry mixed with plenty of coconut and mustard paste.
- Saga – A dish made with leafy green plants like Spinach, Leutia, Koshala that is seasoned with garlic.
- Baigini. –A fried item made with eggplants
- Goti Baigana – A dish made of small eggplants and coconut sauce.
- Khata – A sour item made with cooked mango, apple, grape mixed and cooked together.
- Mahura – A type of mixed vegetable curry that uses very basic ingredients like Kakharu (Pumpkin), Saru (Arbi/ Taro) Kanda Mula (Sweet potato).
- Pita – An item made with the fried flowers of Neem tree.
- Potala Rasa- It’s a famous spicy gravy based odia dish in which the main ingredients are Potala (Pointed gourd) and coconut milk.