Most temples in India have strict rules about keeping the surrounding area free of alcohol, non-vegetarian food, and more. But, apparently, South Indian temples don’t seem to adhere to the same rules, allowing non-veg food to be sold even around some of the temple areas. Temples in India are not just a reflection of the religion, but also the culture and community of that specific place.
The country is practically littered with various temples, each boasting of something unique that only it can have, to the point where no two temples would be the same. The temples of the northern region vary vastly from those in the south, and the same with those from the west to the east.
However, a general rule of thumb regarding temples, since they are considered holy places, is to keep the surrounding areas strictly vegetarian and ban most things that could seemingly disrupt the sanctity of the place.
We’ve heard of how prominent temples like Tirumala’s Venkateswara Temple enforce strict vegetarian zones, banning non‑veg, alcohol, and tobacco in the town and shrine. However, several temples in South India don’t fully follow this rule, allowing for non-veg food to be sold near them.
Why Is This So?
Temples in India usually adhere to a strict vegetarian policy within the temple premises and in the food offered as prasad or bhog, which are sacred offerings of food made there.
This is due to the Sattvik principles of purity in Hindu dietary practices, where meat, garlic, onions, and other ingredients are claimed to be forbidden in religious texts and scriptures.
While many North Indian temples have placed outright bans on select things being sold or businesses being conducted around temple premises, there are some South Indian temples that allow for a more diverse and inclusive approach.
The Odisha state government recently banned the sale of non-vegetarian food and liquor within a 2-3 kilometre radius of the Puri Jagannath temple.
This was done to maintain the spiritual ambience of the place. Law Minister Prithviraj Haridchandran explained that for alcohol, the radius is two kilometres, while non-vegetarian food establishments will be prevented from functioning within a radius of three kilometres from the temple.
Harichandran said that “We want to develop Puri as a pilgrim city. To project it as one of the best pilgrimage cities, we are going to take several steps. We will soon come out with a policy that bans the sale of liquor within a two-kilometre radius of the temple. There will be no bar within that area. Besides, we have decided to ban the sale of non-vegetarian items on the Bada Danda.”
Tirumala, the Hindu religious temple town in Tirupati district of Andhra Pradesh, is also strictly vegetarian. The hill town is the location of the Tirumala Venkateswara Temple, dedicated to Lord Vishnu. There is a ban on the sale of non‑veg, alcohol, and tobacco in the town and near the shrine.
However, there are also various South Indian temples, have a more open and relaxed approach to this, allowing for eateries offering non-vegetarian food items to coexist with ease.
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Apparently, this could be because South Indian Hinduism generally encourages bhakti (devotion) and personal spirituality, rather than imposing strict dietary restrictions outside temple walls. This allows devotees to consume non-vegetarian food while still maintaining a strong faith.
Non-vegetarian food is also linked very intrinsically into the culture of various communities in South India, such as the Nairs, Reddys, Vokkaligas, and Thevars, as per a News18 report.
Many regions in South India are also coastal ports, where fish and seafood are usually in abundance, thus normalising the eating and sale of them in the communities without it affecting religious sentiments.
According to a News18 report, temple towns like Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu and Srisailam in Andhra Pradesh have local communities of fishermen that rely on non-vegetarian food for their livelihood. Many have set up shops that could be in proximity to the temple, just because of logical reasons, and removing them could raise questions and protests from locals.
The temples in South India are also usually run by “Devasthanam boards or mathas (monasteries)” that represent diverse communities, thus making it difficult to impose rigid dietary restrictions.
Forget allowing non-veg food around the temple area; there are even some Indian temples that have non-vegetarian food as prasad.
The Muniyandi Swami Temple in Tamil Nadu serves chicken and mutton biryani as prasad during the 3-day annual festival to honour Lord Muniyandi or Muneeswarar, said to be an incarnation of Lord Shiva. The Vimala Temple in Orissa offers meat & fish as prasad during Durga Puja.
Kerala’s Parassinik Kadavu Temple, dedicated to Lord Muthappan, has devotees offer incinerated fish and toddy to the deity, said to be an incarnation of Lord Vishnu and Shiva born in during Kali Yuga, and believe their wishes would get fulfilled by doing so. These are then given back to devotees as prasad upon visiting the temple.
The Dakshineswar Kali Temple in West Bengal and Assam’s Kamakhya Temple both have fish and meat offered to the deities.
Image Credits: Google Images
Sources: News18, TOI, Times Now
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This post is tagged under: South India, South India temples, South India temples food, non-veg, non veg food india, non veg near temples, South Indian temples food
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