Prayagraj (Uttar Pradesh) [India], January 22 (ANI): ISKCON has unveiled a state-of-the-art mega kitchen to serve over one lakh devotees every day. The food is prepared and distributed across 20 designated locations throughout Mahakumbh.
The Adani Group and ISKCON have joined hands to serve meals to devotees at the Maha Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj. The Mahaprasad Seva is being offered for the entire duration of the Maha Kumbh Mela, from 13 January to 26 February.
The initiative is designed to provide comprehensive support to the millions of devotees who visit the sacred Sangam for spiritual purification, ensuring they receive adequate nourishment and care during their visit.
To manage the scale of operations, ISKCON has installed two massive kitchens capable of cooking meals for up to 50,000 people on regular days and scaling up to one lakh during peak bathing days. The kitchen employs innovative infrastructure, including a railway track-like slider system and cranes to move oversized utensils. This ensures smooth and efficient operations in handling the massive quantities of food required each day.
One of the main highlights of the kitchen is its eco-friendly design. The large, traditional stoves, known locally as ‘Salem’, feature special chimneys that make the facility smog-free.
Interestingly, the stoves are named after sacred rivers such as Ganga, Yamuna, and Saraswati, as well as Hindu deities, adding a spiritual touch to the operation.
A spokesperson for ISKCON stated that the primary goal of this initiative is to serve the devotees and enhance their pilgrimage experience. The meals, prepared with care and devotion, are distributed across 20 key locations in the Mahakumbh area, ensuring no one goes hungry.
ISKCON Kumbh Mega Kitchen Head Chef Ajit Mukund Das said, “Around 200 volunteers are serving here. The process is stepwise… The kitchen begins at 2 am, pulses are soaked one day in advance, and spices are cut and kept ready in advance. The cooking begins at 5 am. Food for around 50,000 people is prepared till 9 am. After that, more of it is prepared as required… On the ‘Snan’ days like Makar Sankranti, we served more than 1 lakh people… The vessels are huge, so we have installed tracks and cranes to lift and transport them… The roti machine prepares 7000 rotis in an hour… Many women are working in slots for cutting and peeling vegetables… The furnaces are named after Gods because our aim is not to provide just the food but to provide ‘Prasad’… Whatever we are doing is happening through the power of God…”
This massive effort reflects ISKCON’s commitment to service and devotion, providing sustenance and support to millions of pilgrims attending one of the world’s largest spiritual gatherings. (ANI)
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