Khichdi Mahotsav begins at Vrindavan's Shri Radha Vallabh Temple

Mathura (UP), Dec 20 (PTI) The centuries-old tradition of offering "khichdi" to the deity at the Shri Radha Vallabh Temple in Vrindavan will begin on Monday, temple servitors said.

The month-long "Khichdi Seva" will continue until January 21, during which the deity will give darshan in different forms every day.

Acharya Devkinandan Goswami, a sevayat of the temple, informed that the "Khichdi Seva" was started around 310 years ago to shield Thakur Radha Vallabh from the harsh winter conditions.

The ritual is observed from the second day of the bright fortnight of the Paush month to the second day of the bright fortnight of the Magh month.

He said the "Khichdi Prasad" is offered daily after the Mangala Aarti in the morning, and the period is also celebrated as the "Khichdi Mahotsav." This year, the festival will be observed from December 22 to January 21 and continues to be celebrated with immense devotion and enthusiasm.

During the festival, deity will be shown in various forms to bless devotees, including as a flower seller, bird vendor, doctor, teacher, student, Yashoda Maiya, Lord Shiva, Dauji, Banke Bihari, Yugalg Sarkar, a cricketer, and several other symbolic representations, Goswami added.

The festival, which was initiated by the then chief sevayat Acharya Kamal Nayan Goswami, is considered one of the oldest and most cherished festivals of the temple. Sevayats and Vaishnav devotees sing "Khichdi Padas," composed by the temple's founder, Hit Harivansh Mahaprabhu, during the celebrations.

The khichdi offered to the deity is prepared with 32 ingredients, including a variety of greens, pickles, papad, fruits, dry fruits, saffron, musk, ginger, nutmeg, mace, different types of salt, anardana, dates, and dried plums, making it both flavorful and easily digestible, the sevayats said.

Special offerings like kuliya, rabri, chipiya, and shrikhand are also included in the divine prasad.

Despite dense fog and cold winds, devotees are expected to throng the temple to witness the Mangala Aarti and the unique darshan during the Khichdi Mahotsav, temple authorities said. PTI COR KIS HIG HIG HIG