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People in India are fervent worshippers who do so without reservation. Every few kilometres in India, culture shifts, and each location has its own set of beliefs. According to this belief, making particular offerings to the gods is what makes them happy. After cooking, this offering is given to the temple's worshippers. This is known as Prasad. It is a kind gift that is given to the Divine and shared by the giver(s) and the Divine. It exemplifies grace, divine love, and connection by fundamentally representing receiving and giving between the Divine and Human. The offering is thought to be consecrated when the deity consumes it and then gives it back. The worshipers then distribute and consume the offering. Mostly the prasad is usually sweet or something vegetarian but some temples in India offer Non-vegetarian items as a prasad.
Fish and Mutton - Vimala Temple, Odisha
Goddess Vimala or Bimala temple in Puri, who is an avatar of Durga has an interesting fact related to it. Considered one of the Shakti Pithas, this shrine is a part of the Jagannath Temple complex in Puri, and fish from the Holy Markanda temple tank is cooked and presented to Goddess Bimala during the Durga Puja festival. The prasad is known as ‘Bimala Parusa’ (Vimala there is pronounced as Bimala). Interestingly, all of this takes place before Lord Jagannath's temple's great doors are opened during the pre-dawn hours. This ritual happens only once a year and there is also animal sacrifice as during this time the Goddess gets into her angry destructive mode and the meat is considered necessary to placate her.
Mutton meat - Tarkulha Devi Temple, Uttar Pradesh
Located in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, the - Tarkulha Devi Temple draws a large crowd of visitors each year when the Khichari Mela is held there. The reputation of this shrine for granting wishes is pretty high. During Chaitra Navratri, people travel from all over the nation to this temple to pay a visit and offer goat to the goddess in exchange for their desire to be granted. The tradition of sacrifice started by Amar Shaheed Bandhu Singh by offering his head to the British is still going on here. Now goat is sacrificed here. After that the goat meat is cooked in earthen pots (matki or handi) and is later distributed as prasad, Baati (litti) is also given with this.
Fish & toddy- Lord Muthappa Parissinikadavu Muthappan Temple , Kerala
Lord Muthappan, a Kali Yuga-era incarnation of Shiva and Vishnu who is thought to have been born , in down south, he goes by numerous names and is highly revered. The majority of offerings include toddy and cremated fish, which are given to Lord Muthappan in the belief that doing so will grant their wishes. Additionally, this is distributed as prasad to the pilgrims that come to the shrine. Even to this day, boiled grains, coconut pieces and fish is offered as prasadam (sacred offering) in Parissinikadavu Temple.
Meat – Kalighat, West Bengal
This 200 years old temple dedicated to Maa Kali which also happens to be one of the Shaktipeeths, goat sacrifices is a common practice here. The location where Dakshayani or Sati's right foot's toes hit the ground is represented by Kalighat. The meat is cooked here has no onion garlic and is iffered to devotees as prasad. However, the Devi here is offered a vegetarian spread while her accomplices - Dakini and Yogini - are given the non-veg procured from the sacrifice.
Fish & meat - Kamakhya Temple, Assam
Maa Kamakhya in Assam is another very well known Shakti Peeths in the country. There are two bhogs are prepared and presented. One is the Vegetarian and other is the non vegetarian. Unexpectedly, neither bhog is prepared with onion or garlic. Goat meat which is then cooked and presented to Maa Kamakhya, is used to make the non-vegetarian bhog. Additionally, occasionally, fish is cooked into a chutney and offered to the goddess between 1:00 and 2:00 pm. While this bhog is being offered, the temple's front doors are closed. Matsya and Mamsa make it to the bhog.
Fishfry/ Instagram- delicious.lyyy
Another Shaktipeeth that is well-known among Goddess Durga worshipers is this one. The devotees who come to worship Goddess Kali are given fish as part of the bhog, which is offered to the Goddess. This temple does not practise animal sacrifices. The presiding goddess of the temple, which is located on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, is Bhavatarini, a manifestation of Parashakti Adya Kali, also known as Adishakti Kalika.
