ISKCON’s Mega Kitchen in Prayagraj to Serve Over 100,000 Devotees Daily: ISKCON has set up an incredible mega kitchen at the Prayagraj Kumbh Mela that can feed over 100,000 devotees daily. The state-of-the-art facility features innovative infrastructure like sliding tracks and massive cranes to move enormous cooking vessels. The entire operation is run by 2000 dedicated volunteers who start working as early as 2 am to ensure pilgrims get nutritious, devotion-filled meals.
ISKCON’s Mega Kitchen in Prayagraj to Serve Over 100,000 Devotees Daily
The food is cooked and distributed across 20 designated locations throughout Mahakumbh. ISKCON has unveiled a state-of-the-art mega kitchen to serve over one lakh devotees daily. The Mahaprasad Seva is being offered for the entire duration of the Maha Kumbh Mela, from 13 Jan. to 26 Feb.
The Adani group and ISKCON have joined hands to serve meals to devotees at the Maha Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj. To manage the entire operation, ISKCON has installed two massive kitchens capable of cooking meals for up to 50,000 people on regular days and up to one lakh during peak bathing days. This smooth and efficient operation in handling the massive quantities of food required each day.
Interestingly these stoves are named after sacred rivers such as Ganga, Yamuna, And Saraswati, as well as Hindu deities, adding a spiritual touch to the operation.
Mega Kitchen in Prayagraj
Mega Kitchen in Prayagraj is one of the main highlights of the kitchen is its eco-friendly design. The large, traditional stives, known locally as “salema” feature special chimneys that make the facility free. ISKCON unveils a state-of-the-art mega kitchen during the Maha Kumbh to serve over one lakh devotees daily, the food is cooked and distributed across 20 designated throughout the Mahakumbh.
ISKCON has set up multiple kitchens outside the Mela areas, ensuring continuous food supply to visitors. Every day, meals are prepared for over 100,000 people, with food served in three daily sessions, Accommodating 30,000-35,000 individuals per session. Apart from serving devotees, ISKCON is also catering to the needs of 15000 sanitation workers, recognizing their role in maintaining cleaning during the festival.
Traditional cooking with sustainability in focus
The initiative incorporates eco-friendly cooking practices, utilizing clay stove wood, and cow dung cakes for fuel. No plastic is used in the food distribution process, aligning with the broader environmental efforts at the Maha Kumbh. The meals consist of dal, chole, or rajma, vegetables, rotis, rice, and sweets like halwa or Boondi laddu, providing a balanced and nourishing diet for pilgrims.
ISKCON Kumbh Mega Kitchen Head Chef Ajit Mukund Das
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, piles are smoked a day in advance, and spices are cut and kept ready in advance, The cooking to prepare starts at 5 am in the early morning. Food for around 50,000 people is prepared till 9.00 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 trackers and cranes to lift and transport them… The roti machine has slots for cutting and peeling vegetables. The furnaces are named after Gods because our aim is not to provide just food but to provide ‘prasad’.. whatever we are doing is happening through the power of God.”
This kind of massive effort affects ISKCON`s commitment to service and dev notion, providing sustenance and support to millions of pilgrims attending one of the world`s largest spiritual gatherings.
The collaboration combines ISKCON`s spiritual mission with the Adani Group`s logistical capabilities to distribute 100,000 meals daily during the 45-day festival. Using the famous Mega Kitchen, with its base at Govardhan Eco Village, 2500 volunteers distribute the Prasadam to dozens of locations throughout the religious gatherings.
Additionally, in collaboration with Gita Press, 500,000 copies of Geets Saar, A summary Collection of verses from the Bhagavad-gita will be distributed, offering spiritual guidance alongside Prasadam. Other book distribution efforts at the event include sharing thousand of full copies of the Bhagavad-gita-As-it -is.
Conclusion
In this article, we discussed ISKCON’s Mega Kitchen in Prayagraj to Serve Over 100,000 Devotees Daily, ISKCON has installed two massive kitchens capable of cooking meals for up to 50,000 people on regular days and up to one lakh during peak bathing days.