The war in the Middle East involving Iran and Israel-USA has cast its shadow on the 'maha prasadam' given to the devotees at the Shirdi Saibaba Samadhi temple, Maharashtra.
Due to a shortage of LPG, the temple trust has reduced the number of 'Boondi Laddoos' given to devotees as 'prasad'. Earlier, each devotee used to get two laddoos as 'prasad'; now, however, the devotees are getting one laddoo. The devotees, however, are not complaining; they understand the conflict situation in the Middle East and the resultant LPG shortage in India.
One tonne of LPG is used daily at the Shirdi temple for preparing free food and 'prasad'. As the supply has been affected, the temple is using solar panels to cook some of the items like rice and dal, which are boiled in water heated by solar panels. 'Tadka' is then added to the dal by using gas from LPG cylinders.
The temple makes nearly 45,000 packets of laddoos and 50,000 packets of Boondi as prasad for the devotees. The packets, which used to contain two laddoos, now contain only one laddoo, and the amount of Boondi to be distributed in each packet has also been reduced. Earlier devotees were allowed to purchase more than one packet of ladoos in case they wanted to distribute them among friends and relatives. Now, however, notice has been put up at the laddoo counter that one devotee will only receive one packet containing one laddoo.
A devotee who had come from Surat told local media that he wanted to purchase 5-6 packets of laddoos, but it was not allowed due to the LPG shortage situation.
Similarly, the free meal that is distributed to the devotees every day has also undergone change in the menu. Nearly 50,000 devotees have free meals at the Sai Prasadalay – the temple dining hall. The thalis that devotees ate used to contain two types of vegetables. Now they are getting one vegetable per thali, and instead of dal rice, the devotees are getting masala rice or pulao.
The temple has a stock of LPG cylinders that will last for 15 days.