Devotees to get hot rice gruel at Kateel Sri Durgaparameshwari Temple

MANGALURU: Devotees coming to Sri Durgaparameshwari Temple at Kateel now have the option to partake hot rice gruel offering from 7.30am to 10am. Started by the temple management on May 1, this initiative, a brainchild of K Vasudeva Asranna, hereditary trustee and hereditary archak has seen devotees warm up to the gesture. Ever since its launch, an average of 300 devotees have made use of the same with 450 devotees savouring rice gruel on the day it was rolled out.
Vasudeva Asranna told TOI that it is common knowledge that many devotees who come to the temple in the morning do so on empty stomachs.“While the temple management did consider the idea of offering some light snacks, after a lot of forethought, it was decided to provide them with gruel, which has a cooling effect on the human system and is a fulfilling meal in itself,” he said, adding preparation of snacks requires manpower and involves additional costs.
Already famous for its foray in feeding the masses (anna daana), providing quality education to rural masses (vidya daana), the temple town that sees an average footfall of 10,000 each day, has now added the morning ‘breakfast’ to its repertoire of services. The temple offers ‘anna prasad’ to devotees in its three dining halls in the afternoon and at night. The rice gruel service in the morning is a new addition, which caters mostly to tourists and outstation pilgrims, he notes.
Admitting that the management is yet to take a call on rolling out this morning rice gruel service on ‘ekadashi’, a day when devotees fast through the day, Asranna said, “We will consider providing them with offering of beaten rice and fruits.” Consuming rice and rice based products is a taboo for devotees on Ekadashi. Plans are also afoot to offer tender coconut water offered as abhisheka to deity, buttermilk, panak or milk to devotees in the morning, he added.