Mahaprasad of Puri Jagannath: The Temple Kitchen and Ananda Bazar
Mahaprasad is food prepared in the Jagannath Temple kitchen and offered to the deities. The temple administration says dry sweets, rice, dal and curry are available at the Ananda Bazar inside the temple, with places to eat.
Getting Mahaprasad at the Ananda Bazar
The Ananda Bazar is inside the temple complex. The temple administration lists it among the facilities for devotees: dry sweets, rice, dal and curry are available there, with dining facilities.
Source: SJTA: Darshan Facilities; SJTA: Shreemandira (main temple complex). Checked 2 October 2026.
- The widest choice is usually available after the midday offering, Madhyahna Dhupa.
- Confirm the price before buying.
- Buy what you can eat: wasting Mahaprasad is considered disrespectful.
- Dry sweets travel well and are often taken home for family.
The daily offerings
According to the temple administration's published schedule, food is offered to the deities several times a day: Gopala Ballabha Bhoga (breakfast, including coconut sweets, fruits and curd), Sakala Dhupa (the morning meal), offerings in the Bhoga Mandapa, Madhyahna Dhupa (the midday meal of cooked rice, curries, sweets and cakes), Sandhya Dhupa (the evening meal) and Badasinghara Dhupa (the last offering, including watered rice, kadalibada and khiri).
Source: SJTA: Daily Rituals. Checked 2 October 2026.
The temple kitchen Temple tradition
The kitchen is listed by the temple administration as part of the temple complex. Traditional descriptions of how food is prepared there include:
- cooking in earthen pots over wood fires;
- cooking by hereditary servitor cooks (Suaras);
- not using ingredients such as onion and garlic.
Devotional belief Devotees often describe pots stacked one above another over a single fire, with the topmost said to cook first, as one of the temple's wonders.
How food becomes Mahaprasad Temple tradition
In temple tradition, food offered to Jagannath becomes Mahaprasad once it has also been offered to Goddess Vimala, whose shrine is within the temple complex. Devotional belief Devotees hold that Mahaprasad is always pure and can be shared by anyone, regardless of caste, from the same pot.
Kinds of Mahaprasad
| Name | What it means |
|---|---|
| Sankudi | Cooked items such as rice, dal and curries, eaten fresh |
| Sukhila | Dry items, mainly sweets, which keep longer |
| Nirmalya | Dried rice Mahaprasad, kept at home by many families |
Receiving Mahaprasad respectfully
- Wash your hands before and after eating.
- Receive it with the right hand, or both hands.
- Do not waste it.
- The temple administration asks devotees not to carry cooked food into the temple and not to eat non-vegetarian food.
Source: SJTA: Do's and Don'ts. Checked 2 October 2026.
Planning a trip to Puri?
Travel routes, dress code, what to carry, the best days to go and a sample itinerary, in one place.
Common questions
Where can I buy Mahaprasad in Puri?
At the Ananda Bazar inside the Jagannath Temple complex, according to the temple administration.
Can I order Mahaprasad or puja online?
Be careful. The temple administration states that it never accepts donations or offerings from devotees for online puja. Verify any service against the official website.