In the vedic tradition, it is an essential part of every yagya that the sponsors feed the priests who perform the yagya. In our Kanchipuram location, we have a cook for the entire 10-14 day yagya series.
In the photo you can see additional food that was prepared to feed the poor as a part of our Shivaratri yagya sequence. This part of the yagya is caled Annadanum. We did this in both Varanasi (above) and Kanchipuram (where we fed 500 people).
Varanasi is the home of the Divine Mother in the form of Annapurna; the goddess of food. The story is that she made a deal with Shiva that if he would be responsible for the enlightenment of humanity, she would feed them.
So as a part of the yagya sequence, food is provided to anyone who wants or needs it. It is not only feeding the disadvantaged, although that can be a part of it. I think that a part of the tradition is that people will often travel great distances in India to visit different temples, and certainly this is a way that the cost of doing so, can be reduced. In any case, it is a cultural as well as vedic tradition.
Providing food is also done at the temple. Above is a photo from our Shivaratri event in Kanchipuram where over 500 people were in attendance. The food becomes a part of the fun of Shivaratri and greatly adds to the enjoyment of Shivaratri or any temple event.
In India, particularly out of the larger cities, the temple plays a much more central role in people’s lives than what we experience in the west. The enjoyment of food in the temple setting is a lot of fun and a big part of the experience.
Everyone crowds around to see the abishekam.