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With more than 1,000 ‘Maha Bhandar’ and 500 traditional mega kitchen operations 24×7 in the entire 40 square kilometers of Kumbh region, the grand phenomenon provides an excellent array – Malai Paneer, Dal Tadka, Rajma, Sabji Puri, Gulab Jamun, and Rasa From gardeners and soup. And salad.
During the Kumbh Mela, in the stores, a panoramic spread of free food offerings wait for thousands of devotees and foods that come to this holy gathering. (Image: News18)
Apart from having a spiritual mega event, Mahakumba 2025 is also emerging as a ‘Pak pilgrimage’ for thousands of food items across India and to remember the best ‘Satvik’ dishes served in Mahakumba as Cosad For. 24 × 7 operations in the entire 40 square kilometers of Kumbh region with more than 1,000 ‘Maha Bhandras’ and 500 traditional mega kitchens, the grand phenomenon provides an excellent array – Malai Paneer, Dal Tadka, Rajma, Subji Puri, Gulab Jamun, and Ras from the gardener. According to the palate of Sanatanis from abroad for the selection of soup and boiled vegetables, completely gave a different taste to the Mahakumba.
Steel rhythmic clicking against steel echoes hoists a huge cooking VAT as a huge crane, carefully put it on top of the roaring fire. The scent of boiling rice and sizzling spices fill the air, combining with devotional mantras of “Om Namah Shivaya” that takes rebirth throughout the camp. Volunteers, clad in saffron dress, work tirelessly, their hands run in the right synchoni because they prepare food because they prepare food because they prepare food. Multitud coming to Mahakumbe.
“It’s not just cooking; This is the service of Lord Shiva, “One of the major coordinator said Vishal Srivastava.” We are feeding his devotees, and this is our biggest privilege. ,
The biggest free kitchen of Mahakumba serves around 3 lakh people daily
In the heart of prayer, 2025, known as a grand kitchen, known as Om Naam Shivaya, operates 24/7, ensuring that no devotee is hungry. Om Namah Shiva Samiti, Om Namah, runs one of the biggest free food services in the Holy Assembly, under the guidance of Shivaya Baba. Spread over a bigha (about 0.6 acres), this mega kitchen is a spectacle of devotion, logistics and scale.
Kameshwar Tiwari, a volunteer from Lucknow, said, “This is God’s own kitchen, who has been serving here for more than two decades.” A strange hour like 2 o’clock or 4 o’clock is also served with hot food, no one goes without food, “Tiwari said.
Seamless Operations, 24/7 Service
Large -scale utensils are hoisted by crane on a very heavy, huge burner to manually lift. Each batch prepares 1.5 to 2 quintals (150–200 kg) of rice, as well as 25,000 to 30,000 people with adequate vegetables and lentils. The kitchen operates on a huge scale, using a 40-cintal capacity valet and automatic machines, frying 5,000 puris (deep-fried bread) at a time. With uninterrupted coordination, it provides food to 3 to 3.5 lakhs (300,000-350,000) devotees, making it the largest free kitchen in Mahakumba. More than 2,000 volunteers work around the clock in shifts, which ensure uninterrupted service.
“It’s not only about food,” a senior organizer said, “This is about faith, service and devotion. Here, food is ‘Prasad’ – a sacred offering.”
The Central Kitchen Sector 1 is located on the Triveni route, but six additional kitchens work in Mahakumba in Sector 2 (Darganj Sangam Station), Sector 6 (Nag Vasuki), Sector 8, Sector 12, Sector 14 and Sector 16. Each place prepares his food locally to serve the devotees, ensuring that the growing crowd is never left.
Tradition of service and devotion
This initiative withdraws its roots from 32 years to 1992, when an army cook Lal Mahendra quit his job to dedicate his life to Lord Shiva. Over time, their movement increased, and today, his trust operates four ashrams in Shivarag, Lucknow, Ayodhya and Kanpur, which all run free food services. Recently, UP Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya and former Deputy CM Dinesh Sharma visited the kitchen and took Prasad.
The largest automatic kitchen of Mahakumba produces 40,000 chapatis every hour
Apart from the largest kitchen, there is another mega kitchen that is completely automatic. In Mahakumbe, the International Society for Krishna is one of the largest kitchens in the Fair area, which is located in her camp in Sector 19. The kitchen is a miracle of both tradition and automation, in which three machines produce every 40,000 rotis. Hour. According to Radhakund Das, the assistant in -charge, “more than 100 volunteers work with machines to smell the flour, cut vegetables and prepare Mahaprasad each day.”
Feeds 1.5 lakh devotees daily
The mass operation of ISKCON also includes a mega kitchen near Prayagraj Junction, who feeds 1.5 lakh devotees daily with the help of industrialist Gautam Adani. “We have a mini rail track system for transporting large utensils of rice, pulses and vegetables in the kitchen,” Das said.
Cooking starts every day at 3 pm, in which food is prepared in two shifts. Devotees are served for free from 9 am to 6 pm from 9 am to 6 pm. The kitchen also has a mixture of 15 wooden burns and 15 gas-diligent stoves, with some only dedicated to rice and water temperature.
Nearby, Akshay Patra Kitchen in Sector 6 uses advanced machines to prepare food for 20,000 devotees daily, while Lal Mahendra Shiva Siti Seva Samiti provides 24 -hour food service at Ashram Parade Ground, which is of automatic machines Using 40 quintals of potato preparations. ,
Prasad has converted the bunders into a food paradise
During the Kumbh Mela, in the stores, a panoramic spread of free food offerings wait for thousands of devotees and foods that come to this holy gathering. The menu is a mixture of traditional and comfortable dishes, with Puri vegetables a standout. The warm, crispy Puris, added with a fragrant, spicy alu’s vegetable (potato curry), sets tone for a full meal, making it a favorite crowd during festive opportunities. Khichdi’s simplicity and heat, a nutritious mixture of rice and lentils, provides both comfort and energy to pilgrims.
Tehri, pea casserole, and lentil rice provide extra -hearted options, while Kadhi and Kheer add rich tastes and sweetness. The iconic Gulab Jamuns and Crispy Jalebi are unmistakable sweets highlights, in which rasmalai is a creamy finish. These offerings have transformed the goring to a meal to heaven, which attracts people from all over the country. “Kumbh Mela is not just a spiritual journey, it is also a Pak pilgrimage. The food here connects you with the soul of India in every bite, “Aviral Tripathi said, a meal which is from Kanpur.
Akhadas have their own kitchen
In addition to these, the Akhadas have their own kitchen. The fair has its own kitchen of each of the 13 akharas, which oversees a “kothari”, usually a position organized by a sanyasi, although private caterrs can also be assigned this task during major events such as Mahakumbas.
Members of the Akhadh council said that Akhad kitchens work under strict rules, which are prohibited with some ingredients such as garlic, onion, brinjal and lentils. Specific dishes are prepared on the basis of auspicious dates or rituals. The kitchen started operations at 5 am, in which the morning prayed with offerings like Balbhog (Breakfast). A full meal is offered around the afternoon, followed by dinner in the evening after Artis. Common dishes include lentils, rice, bread and various vegetables, which vary the menu according to the ability of Akhad. Food can range from simple alu vegetables to grand cuisine like royal cheese. Depending on the number of residents and visitors in Akhad, sweets such as Balushahi, Laddu, Chandrakala, and Rasgullas are also prepared. Akhad fulfills both saints and common people, ensuring that no one leaves hungry. The kitchen tradition continues even after the fair ends, as the ashrams maintain equal food practices for both saints and public.
Recipes according to the palate of eunuchs from abroad
Apart from Indians, Akhad and Mega Spiritual programs also observe a large number of followers of Sanatan Dharma of various countries. “Till now there are more than 700 devotees from Japan, Russia, Australia and Malaysia, therefore, we prepare special ‘Kakka Pakka Bhoja’ for them. We prepare special salads, boiled vegetables, vegetable soup, which are less on spices. Among other food, they like Indian pulses the most, and now even foreign devotees also remember Indian Satvik cuisine, most, “Deen Dayal Bhandari said, who is from Bijnor, and Pilot Baba is associated with the camp for the last 20.
With the operation of more than 500 reserves throughout the region, these efforts not only provide food, but the spirit of service, where institutions are proud of service without any expectation. The commitment of Seva Ashram and hundreds of other groups ensures that anyone leaves hungry, regardless of the background or position.
According to a recent report, more than 29.64 crore devotees have so far taken a holy dip in the Holy Sangam in Mahakumba 2025 in Prayagraj.
- Place :
Allahabad, India, India
