Annadaan: how a meal is served at the Annakshetra
From the first offering at the altar to the last plate handed over at the gate. What happens when you sponsor a day of annadaan.
The Annakshetra is the ashram’s kitchen, and its first rule is simple: no one who comes to the gate goes hungry. Every day, food is cooked, offered at the altar, and then served to whoever arrives.
A day in the kitchen
Cooking starts early. The menu is simple and sattvic: rice, dal, a vegetable, sometimes a sweet on festival days. Much of what goes into the pot is grown on the ashram’s own farm.
Before anyone eats, the first portion is offered at the altar. Only then is the food served: to the people staying at the ashram, to visitors, to workers from the village, and to anyone else who comes.
Questions people ask
Yes. Many people sponsor a day in the name of a loved one, for a birthday, an anniversary or in memory of someone who has passed. The name is remembered at the offering.
Visitors staying at the ashram are welcome to help in the kitchen and with serving. Ask at the office when you arrive.
Everyone who comes. There is no list and no questions asked.
A spiritual retreat and temple on the banks of the Tansa river, a short drive from Mumbai.
Mohanji Datta Tapovan, Ganeshpuri is a project of Mohanji Bharat Welfare Foundation, registered in India.
Prototype note: this story, its author and its comments are sample content, written to show the layout.
2 comments
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I sponsor a day every month in my father’s name. Reading this, I can picture it now. Thank you.
Helped serve here last Diwali. The kitchen team works so hard.
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