Indian Temple Food Recipes

What temple food is

Temple food in India is food prepared in a religious setting, usually first offered to a deity and then shared with devotees. Many temples cook in large, dedicated kitchens, often following long-established methods. The food is typically vegetarian and simple, and it is made with care and, in many traditions, prayer or chanting.

Because India has many faiths and regional traditions, there is no single “temple cuisine”. A Tamil Vaishnava temple, a Sikh gurdwara and a Jagannath temple in Odisha each have their own practices.

Prasad, naivedyam, bhog and langar

These terms overlap and are used differently in different places:

• Prasad (prasadam): Food that has been offered to a deity and is then received by devotees as a blessing.
• Naivedyam: The food offered to a deity during worship, common in South Indian usage.
• Bhog: Another word for the offering, widely used in North and East India.
• Langar / annadanam: A community meal served to all visitors, often free. Langar is the Sikh community kitchen; annadanam means “gift of food” and is used in many Hindu temples.

Satvik cooking rules

Many temple kitchens follow satvik principles, which stress simple, fresh, vegetarian food. Typical customs include:

• No meat, fish or eggs.
• No onion or garlic in many traditions.
• Cooking by people who have bathed and are dressed in clean clothes.
• No tasting during cooking, because the food is first offered.
• Using fresh, seasonal ingredients, ghee and often earthen or brass vessels.

These rules differ between temples. At home, follow the traditions of your own family or temple.

Famous temple foods

• Tirupati laddu (Andhra Pradesh): A large sweet laddu given as prasad at the Venkateswara temple in Tirupati. It is made with gram flour, ghee, sugar and dry fruit and is one of India’s best-known temple offerings.
• Mahaprasad at Jagannath Temple, Puri (Odisha): Cooked in earthen pots in the temple kitchen and often described as including dozens of items in the offering known as Chappan Bhog (56 items). Dishes include dalma, khichdi and sweets.
• Langar at the Golden Temple, Amritsar (Punjab): A free community meal of simple food such as dal, roti, vegetables and kheer, open to everyone. It serves a very large number of people daily, though exact figures vary by source.
• Udupi temple meals (Karnataka): Rice, sambar, rasam, vegetable dishes and payasam, which inspired the wider Udupi restaurant tradition. Udupi-style breakfast classics such as idli and dosa appear in our guide to traditional Indian breakfast foods.
• Panchamritham at Palani (Tamil Nadu): A sweet mixture traditionally made with banana, jaggery, honey, ghee and cardamom, offered at the Murugan temple.
• Pongal, pulihora and curd rice: Widely offered in South Indian temples.

Recipes to make at home

These are simplified home versions of dishes commonly offered. Quantities are approximate; adjust to taste and your tradition.

Sakkarai pongal

Serves about 4.

• 1/2 cup raw rice and 1/4 cup moong dal, rinsed
• 3 to 4 cups water or a mix of milk and water
• 3/4 cup grated jaggery
• 3 tablespoons ghee
• 1 tablespoon cashews and raisins
• 1/2 teaspoon cardamom powder

1. Dry roast the dal lightly until fragrant.
2. Cook the rice and dal with water until very soft and mushy. A pressure cooker works well.
3. Melt the jaggery with a little water, strain it, and stir it into the cooked rice.
4. Simmer for a few minutes until thick.
5. Fry the cashews and raisins in ghee, then stir them in with cardamom.

Pulihora (tamarind rice)

• 1 cup rice, cooked and cooled
• Lime-sized ball of tamarind soaked in warm water
• 2 tablespoons oil or ghee
• 1 teaspoon mustard seeds, 1 tablespoon chana dal, 1 tablespoon peanuts
• Dried red chillies, curry leaves, turmeric, a pinch of asafoetida, salt

1. Extract thick tamarind pulp and cook it with turmeric, salt and a little jaggery until it thickens.
2. Heat the oil, then add mustard seeds, dals, peanuts, chillies and curry leaves.
3. Add the pulp and cook briefly.
4. Gently fold it into the rice and let it sit before serving.

Asafoetida is used instead of onion or garlic in satvik cooking.

Panchamrit (offering drink)

Mix milk, curd, honey, sugar and ghee in equal small amounts. In some traditions it is used in worship before being consumed as prasad. Different regions use different combinations, so follow your own family’s practice.

Sundal (chickpea offering)

1. Soak and boil chickpeas until tender.
2. Heat oil, add mustard seeds, urad dal, curry leaves and dried chilli.
3. Toss in the chickpeas, salt and fresh grated coconut.

Sundal is often prepared during Navratri and other festivals; see our festival food guide for more.

Rava kesari

1. Roast 1/2 cup semolina in ghee until fragrant.
2. Add 1 1/2 cups hot water carefully and cook until the semolina absorbs it.
3. Stir in 3/4 cup sugar, a pinch of saffron, cardamom, and more ghee.
4. Garnish with fried cashews and raisins.

Serving and eating customs

• Food is often eaten sitting on the floor, in rows.
• Banana leaves or steel plates are common.
• Many people wash their hands before eating and eat with the right hand.
• Take what you will finish; wasting prasad is considered disrespectful.
• Devotees may receive prasad in cupped hands, so check what the temple expects.

Respectful cooking notes

• Keep the food vegetarian and follow satvik rules if you are preparing it for a puja.
• Do not taste the offering before it is offered.
• Because many temple foods contain nuts, dairy and wheat, label them for guests with allergies.
• For festive uses, see how these foods appear in Diwali dinner recipes and our guide to food at Hindu weddings.

Related reading

• Indian festivals and their traditional foods
• Indian New Year food traditions