115 Varieties of Bhog of Shree Jagannatha Temple Puri

The state of Odisha in India has a rich culinary tradition. Odisha boasts of an amazing variety of dishes, most of which are associated with the ancient temple traditions of Odisha from centuries.

The general public is yet to learn about this state's rich culture. Many Odias, even those residing in Odisha, are grossly unaware.

On 24th December, 2017, thanks to Neeladri Adyatmik Trust, we got a novel opportunity to attend a unique event that introduced us to 'Odisha Mandirara Bhoga Parampara' i.e. the 'Bhog tradition of Odisha Temples'. A book by the same name was released on the occasion.

An 800-pages book 'Shree Jagannath Gyana Kosha' was also released in the event.

Chhapana Bhoga (56 Bhog) of Shree Jagannatha is pretty famous. But, the fact is Shree Jagannatha is offered many more dishes and thus, the number of bhog is not just 56 in number. Number of offering vary as per the traditions, and on the festive occasion of Makar Sankranti, there are 84 bhog- the highest number of offerings are given. It is even mentioned in the Record of Rights as "Makara Chaurasi Bhoga".

Some of the dishes like 'Mandua' are unknown even to some Puri city inhabitants!

We had the opportunity to see 115 varieties of bhog exhibited in the event.
You can take a look at this short video that shows some glimpses :

As per the organizers and researchers, they could manage to display only this tiny fraction i.e. 115 of all what Shree Jagannatha is offered at Puri. The actual number of bhog is much larger.

They did a commendable job to arrange 115 varieties considering the fact that all these dishes were prepared in the traditional way and transported to Bhubaneswar from Puri Shree Jagannatha Temple.

After the exhibition, devotees got to sample the bhog in the premises and some got to carry the same to their homes too!

Rasagolas have had centuries-old history and cultural association with the state of Odisha.
Rasagola has been in existence in Shree Jagannatha Temple, having been a part of the rituals ever since bhog has been offered to Maha Lakshmi in the temple during Niladri Bije, the last day of Ratha Jatra.

Did you know that apart from the Rasagola we know, Shree Jagannatha is also offered a unique dish - Dahi Rasagola too ?

Apart from Rasagola, did you know there are many sweets in Odisha that start with the word- “Rasa” like Rasabali, Rasabara etc?

Apart from Rasagola, the land of Shree Jagannatha boasts of several mind-boggling sweets, many of which are prepared from Chhena. 

Odisha has many Chhena sweets and dishes like- Chhena Payes, Chhenapoda, Chhena Bara, Chhena Kakara etc. 

Odisha dishes like Chhena Muduki, Chhena Bundia, Chhena Khai, Chhena Tadia, Chhenabadi, Rasabali etc are also prepared from Chhena and they are a part of Mahaprasad.

Those who argue that Chhena dishes are not offered to God as God isn’t offered curdled milk, must see and taste Shree Jagannatha's bhog. Many still believe that the Portuguese taught the art of Chhena preparation!

You can read this blog for more info-

Cottage-Cheese, Chhena And Comments About Rasagola #RasagolaA2Z

Shree Jagannatha's 12th Century Temple strictly adheres to its ancient customs, including its elaborate menu and rituals.

As per the Puri Shree Jagannatha Temple's traditions, only indigenous vegetables, fruits and grocery items are allowed to be used for cooking. Thus, agricultural produce like Chillies, Potatoes, Tomatoes etc. are not used in any of the dishes as they are not native to our land and have their origin in foreign nations. Had Chhena been of foreign origin and not been Odisha’s product, Rasagola would never have been offered as bhog. Nor would there have been so many Chhena dishes that are offered to Shree Jagannatha.

I loved the fact that all visitors were served Puri Mahaprasad.
By Maha Lakshmi and Shree Jagannatha's grace, all the visitors had Mahaprasad in the exhibition premises!

As is the tradition, we all sat on the floor and we were served on banana-leaf plates.

Actually, many items were served on our banana-leaf plate, but as I was feeling so blessed and grateful, and was busy eating, I could not click any more photographs!

Shree Jagannatha means the Lord of the Universe.
Puri Shree Jagannatha Temple's kitchen is one of the largest in the world. Shree Jagannatha boasts of such wondrous treats that are simply awesome and fascinating.

Note- This post could not share all the individual pics of all the 115 bhog items that were displayed. I need to write many more posts to be able to share all the photographs and information pertaining to Shree Jagannatha! 

Were you aware of so many dishes of Shree Jagannatha? Is any other God of the world offered so many items as Bhog? Please share in the comments below.