Chikki has longer shelf life than mohanthal: Gujarat govt on Ambaji ‘prasad’ issue

On a day the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) joined the protest over the change of prasad at the world-famous Ambaji temple in Banaskantha, the Gujarat government Saturday stated that the change has been made owing to the increased shelf life of ‘chikki’ compared to that of ‘mohanthal’.

“Those who cannot physically attend the temple but attend the online darshan, can also order prasad online… Mohanthal’s shelf life is only seven to eight days. The decision taken by the temple administration of (replacing mohanthal with) ‘chikki’ with a special type of mawa and peanuts (is because) its shelf life is up to three months. Prasad is a matter of faith. It is not a delicacy… Because it’s long-lasting, people in the country as well as abroad can order online prasad and practice their faith,” government spokesperson and senior minister Rushikesh Patel said. He added that during the Covid-19 pandemic, nearly 1.25 crore used to attend the online darshan.

The government statement came amid raging controversy over the change in the offering. On Saturday, the VHP staged a dharna in Ambaji with a demand to bring back the mohanthal at Ambaji temple. Gujarat VHP spokesperson Hitendrasinh Rajput said that around 300-400 people, including state secretary Ashok Raval and deputy secretary Ashwin Patel, took part in the VHP protest.

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On Friday, Congress MLAs protesting over the issue in the Gujarat Assembly were suspended from the House for the remainder of the day.

Rushikesh Patel also reminded that the decision to replace mohanthal with chikki was not taken recently. “It has been ongoing for some time and people have been taking it. There has been no change in the bhog (being offered to the Goddess Ambaji),” the minister said. Till date, no complaint has been received on mohanthal getting spoiled at the temple, he added.