In the midst of the ongoing Ambaji Temple prasad controversy, VHP leader Ashok Raval challenged Gujarat Home Minister Harsh Sanghvi on Sunday (March 12) to replace Sukhdi, the traditional prasad served at the Mahudi Jain Temple, a revered pilgrimage site for Jains, with any other food item. Notably, Gujarat Home Minister Harsh Sanghvi is a Jain, which is why Ashok Raval extended the challenge to him.
The response came after the state minister urged the Hindu outfit to refrain from protesting against the Shaktipeeth Ambaji Temple administration’s decision to replace the traditional prasad offering of mohanthal at the sacred Ambaji temple in Gujarat’s Banaskantha district with ‘chikki.’
According to a report by Divya Bhaskar, members of the Hindu organisation met on Sunday, March 12, to deliberate their next course of action in response to the decision to change the prasad from mohanthal to chikki at the Ambaji temple. Gujarat Home Minister Harsh Sanghvi was also present at the meeting, where he urged VHP members to end their protest against the move.
In response to Sanghvi’s plea, VHP Gujarat General Minister Ashok Raval chastised the state government for failing to provide clarity on the prasad controversy. Raval asserted that the VHP would continue to protest unless the decision to replace the traditional prasad offering of Mohanthal to chikki at the Ambaji temple is revoked.
“The Home Minister has requested that the agitation be halted, but the VHP has made it clear that it does not trust the government or any of its ministers,” said the irked Ashok Raval, challenging Harsh Sanghvi, who is a Jain, to try and first replace Sukhdi, the customary prasad offered at the Mahudi Jain Temple (a Jain pilgrimage site).
Banaskantha administration to penalise people protesting in front of Govt offices
Meanwhile, amid the ongoing agitation launched by Hindu organisations against the decision to replace the prasad at Gujarat’s Ambaji temple, the Collector of Banaskantha issued a notice stating that no protests or dharnas will be permitted in front of any government building in the district.
પ્રસાદ વિવાદ : બનાસકાંઠા કલેક્ટર આનંદ પટેલે બહાર પાડ્યું જાહેરનામું, જિલ્લામાં સરકારી ઓફિસોની બહાર ધરણા, વિરોધ પ્રદર્શન નહીં કરી શકાય, ડીજે પર પણ પ્રતિબંધ#AnandPatel #Ambaji #VTVGujarati pic.twitter.com/OCGt5e9Z9Q
— VTV Gujarati News and Beyond (@VtvGujarati) March 13, 2023
DJs have also been prohibited by the Collector. He has stated that those who violate the instructions will face penalties under IPC sections 188 and 135. This notice will be in effect from March 10, 2023, to March 24, 2023. Reportedly, a copy of the notification has also been placed on Ambaji temple’s gate number 7.
What is the controversy over Ambaji Temple prasad in Gujarat
The controversy over Ambaji Temple’s prasad has been going on for over a week. The row started after the temple on March 4, announced that Mohanthal, a traditional sweet Prasad, would be replaced with Chikki. Mohathan is a traditional sweet of besan (gram flour), sugar, ghee and milk. It is a traditional Gujarati sweet and has served as a prasad at many temples, including Ambaji temple, for many decades. Chikki is a brittle sweet made with jaggery and nuts, usually peanuts or sesame seeds.
The temple administration justified its decision by contending that the shelf life of Mohanthan was only 8 to 10 days. Meanwhile, ‘chikki’ comes with a longer shelf life and could be consumed for months. Moreover, it could also be bought online by devotees living far away and can easily be transported to states and countries, which is why, the authorities said, that a decision was taken to replace the Mohanthal with Chikki in prasad.
On March 11, Gujarat Health Minister Rishikesh Patel supported the Shaktipeeth Ambaji Temple administration in changing the prasad from Mohanthal to Chikki.
Hindu organisations and devotees oppose the decision
The announcement, however, met stiff resistance from devotees and Hindu organisations alike, who believe that the prasad of mohanthal, which has been served at the temple for decades, has traditional and sentimental value for the devotees. Posters have reportedly appeared in many locations urging that ‘Mohanthal’ be reintroduced as Ambaji ‘prasad,’ even though ‘Chikki’ can be an additional item.
Meanwhile, following the decision, Hindu Hitrakshak Samiti held a meeting and requested the temple administration to revoke the decision. The Hindu organisation gave 48 hours to the temple administration to act. However, after the 48-hour timeline, the Hindu organisation met again and postponed the protests in view of the Hindu festival Holi.
Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) also supported the demand to resume Mohanthal Prasad at the temple. VHP Gujarat General Minister Ashok Raval said in a statement that he met the government officials, and they assured the Trust would sort the matter out. He expressed his displeasure over the statement issued by the Health Minister.
Over 200 kgs of Mohanthal distributed to mark the protest by devotees every day
Instead of protesting against the decision, a group of devotees distributed 200 kg of Mohanthal Prasad daily. In an OpIndia Gujarati exclusive report, it was stated that the devotees chose the unique way of protest by distributing Mohanthal.
અંબાજીમાં માઈ ભક્તો દ્વારા પ્રસાદમાં મોહનથાળ બંધ કરીને ચીક્કી આપવાના નિર્ણયનો અનોખો વિરોધ.
— नाम है भक्ति 👸 (@PariPinkberry) March 10, 2023
સ્થાનિક ભક્તોએ હિંદુઓ પાસેથી દાન-દક્ષિણા મેળવી દર્શને આવનાર ભક્તોને માતાજીને ચડાવેલો મોહનથાળ આપવાનું શરૂ કર્યું.
3 દિવસથી રોજ 200 કિલો મોહનથાળ બનાવીને વિતરીત કરાય છે.#ambajitemple pic.twitter.com/oZmKY3e2Zg
A Twitter user PariPinkBerry tweeted about it saying, “Unique protest by Maa devotees in Ambaji against the decision to stop Mohanthal in Prasad and give Chikki. The local devotees received donations from Hindus and started offering Mohanthal to the devotees who came for darshan. 200 KG of Mohanthal is made and distributed every day for the last three days.”
Ashok Raval denies having made any such challenge
However, hours after the media reports emerged, Ashok Raval issued a statement wherein he said that he made no such statement. He said that all Indic faiths are under the Sanatan Dharma umbrella and he respects all faiths and made no such comments on Jain faith.
Note: Article has been updated with Ashok Raval’s statement.
