in
Powell,
Ohio, US The
prasada is to be consumed by attendees as a holy offering. The offerings may include cooked food,
fruits and confectionery sweets. Vegetarian food is usually offered and later distributed to the devotees who are present in the
temple. Sometimes this vegetarian offering will exclude prohibited items such as garlic, onion, mushroom, etc. This now-divinely invested substance is called
prasada and is received by the devotee to be ingested, worn, smelled, etc. It may be the same material that was originally offered or material offered by others and then re-distributed to other devotees. In many temples, several kinds of
prasada (e.g., nuts, sweets) are distributed to the devotees. Offering food and subsequently receiving
prasada is central to the practice of
puja. At the same time, both conceptualizarions of and practices relating to
prasada vary widely, for these are closely linked to particular philosophies and regions, among other factors. In Sikhism,
karah parshad is served to the congregation after prayer and reading of scripture. Parshad represents the same values as
langar in that it is served indiscriminately.
Kurukshetra Prasadam (Channa laddu) in
48 kos parikrama of Kurukshetra,
Tirupati Laddu and
Mathura peda in the
Braj Parikrama are
geo-specialty prasada. == References ==