There are many popular temples in India that are known for their delicious and distinctive temple food.
What is The Temple Food?
Temple food in India refers to the cuisine that is traditionally prepared and offered as prasad (divine food) in Hindu temples.
It is a significant part of religious rituals and is known for its simplicity, purity, and vegetarian nature. Temple food typically consists of dishes made with fresh ingredients like rice, lentils, vegetables, and spices.
The meals are usually devoid of onions, garlic, and certain pungent spices. Some popular examples of temple food include sambar (lentil soup), rasam (spiced tomato soup), puliyodarai (tamarind rice), curd rice, and sweet offerings like ladoos (sweet balls) and Kesari (semolina dessert).
These offerings are believed to be sanctified and carry spiritual significance in Hindu culture.
Temple food from the 15 Popular Temples of India
Here is a list of 15 popular temples in India and some of the dishes that are offered as prasad (food offerings to the deity) or served in the langar (community kitchen):
1. Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) in Andhra Pradesh: Laddus, vada, pulihora (tamarind rice), appam, dosa.
2. Amritsar’s Golden Temple: Langar serves various vegetarian dishes including roti (flatbread), rice, dal (lentil soup), vegetables, and sweet dishes.
3. Sabarimala Temple in Kerala: Appam, aravana, payasam (a type of sweet), sadya (a traditional Kerala meal served on a banana leaf).
4. Shirdi Sai Baba Temple in Maharashtra: Laddus, sheera, puran poli (a type of sweet flatbread), vada pav (a popular street food)
5. Vaishno Devi Temple in Jammu and Kashmir: Poori (a type of fried bread), chole (spicy chickpeas), aloo gobi (potatoes and cauliflower), kachaudi (a type of fried bread with a spiced lentil filling)
6. Jagannath Temple in Odisha: Khichdi (a type of rice and lentil dish), dalma (a type of lentil and vegetable curry), pitha (a type of sweet made with rice flour)
7. Rameswaram Temple in Tamil Nadu: Idli (a type of steamed rice cake), dosa, vada, pongal (a type of rice and lentil dish).
8. Kamakhya Temple in Assam: Ladoo (a type of sweet), jalpan (a type of sweet), luchi (a type of fried bread).
9. Mahalakshmi Temple in Maharashtra: Modak (a type of sweet dumpling), puran poli, karanji (a type of sweet pastry).
10. Meenakshi Temple in Tamil Nadu: Idli, dosa, vada, pongal, payasam
11. Baidyanath Temple in Jharkhand: Peda (a type of sweet), ladoo, khaja (a type of sweet), malpua (a type of sweet fried bread)
12. Somnath Temple in Gujarat: Puri, bhaji (a type of vegetable curry), shrikhand (a type of sweet yogurt), kachaudi.
13. Siddhivinayak Temple in Maharashtra: Modak, laddus, karanji, puran poli
14. The Parathasarathy Temple– Sakkarai (sweet) pongal is a traditional sweet dish made with rice, lentils, and jaggery (unrefined cane sugar) that is commonly offered as prasadam (food offerings to the deity) at the Parathasarathy Temple in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It is often served during festivals and special occasions.
15. Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Kerala: Payasam, appam, aravana, sadya.
16. Nanganallur Anjaneya Temple: Pongal is a traditional South Indian dish made with rice and lentils that are commonly offered as prasadam (food offerings to the deity) at the Nanganallur Anjaneya Temple in Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
Pongal is typically made with rice and split yellow moong dal (lentils) that are cooked together with water, ghee (clarified butter), and spices until the mixture becomes soft and creamy.
17. Jagannatha Perumal Temple, Thirumizhsai: Curd rice, also known as thayir sadam or dahi chawal, is a popular South Indian dish made with rice and curd (yoghurt). It is often offered as prasadam (food offerings to the deity) at the Jagannatha Perumal Temple in Thirumizhsai, Tamil Nadu.
18. The Brihadeeshwara Temple, Thanjavur : Tamarind rice, also called pulihora, is a typical South Indian dish made with rice and tamarind paste. It is frequently offered as prasadam at the Brihadeeshwara Temple in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu. The dish is made by mixing cooked rice with tamarind paste, ground peanuts, and various spices and herbs.
“Don’t forget to enjoy these temples whenever you get a chance to visit them.”
Read more: famous food of Rajasthan
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