The Holy Jain Thali - Mahavir Sthanakvasi Jain Upashray - The Holy Kitchens Of India
- 5 years ago
Paryushan Parv is one of the most important annual holy festivals for Jains and is usually celebrated in the month of August or September.
It is a time when the Jains from both the sects, Digambara, and Swetambara, increase their spiritual intensity by performing fasting and prayer/meditation.
But, there's a special tradition that is followed by Swetabar's Sect. They observe 51 days fast before the start of Paryushan. They believe in preachings of the monks and during this fast, the food intake is only once in a day.
THE HOLY JAIN THALI
Mahavir Stanakvasi Jain Upashray in Dombivali is a special place that provides Jain and clean food to more than 100 devotees every day without any monetary exchange.
The preparation for the lunch starts at 3am in the morning. After listening to the preachings from the monks and chanting the bhaktambra stotra, the lunch begins at 12noon.
The Food cooked here is purely Saatvik i.e. without onion-garlic and any other underground vegetables because they believe in not harming any insects or micro-organisms, and preventing the entire plant from getting uprooted and killed.
Before having the meal, the devotees first thank God, then the farmers and then the one's who have prepared food. The monk provides the appetizer first, and after this, the rest of the food is served in the thalis that are brought by the devotees itself.
The meal consists of more than 25 dishes which includes muthiya, rotis, bhakri, dhokla, etc.
They drink filtered water and some even prefer having tea, as it is the only time they can consume food in their entire day.
Some strict Jains avoid cooking after sunset as they believe insects are more attracted towards fire and lamps at night.
It is a time when the Jains from both the sects, Digambara, and Swetambara, increase their spiritual intensity by performing fasting and prayer/meditation.
But, there's a special tradition that is followed by Swetabar's Sect. They observe 51 days fast before the start of Paryushan. They believe in preachings of the monks and during this fast, the food intake is only once in a day.
THE HOLY JAIN THALI
Mahavir Stanakvasi Jain Upashray in Dombivali is a special place that provides Jain and clean food to more than 100 devotees every day without any monetary exchange.
The preparation for the lunch starts at 3am in the morning. After listening to the preachings from the monks and chanting the bhaktambra stotra, the lunch begins at 12noon.
The Food cooked here is purely Saatvik i.e. without onion-garlic and any other underground vegetables because they believe in not harming any insects or micro-organisms, and preventing the entire plant from getting uprooted and killed.
Before having the meal, the devotees first thank God, then the farmers and then the one's who have prepared food. The monk provides the appetizer first, and after this, the rest of the food is served in the thalis that are brought by the devotees itself.
The meal consists of more than 25 dishes which includes muthiya, rotis, bhakri, dhokla, etc.
They drink filtered water and some even prefer having tea, as it is the only time they can consume food in their entire day.
Some strict Jains avoid cooking after sunset as they believe insects are more attracted towards fire and lamps at night.