Here’s how 15,000 prasad boxes were made for Ram Mandir invitees

At the Ram Mandir consecration in Ayodhya, a special box of prasad was given out to the invitees, prepared by Chhappan Bhog, Lucknow. The prep for it began a few days ago and it was sent to the venue in four trucks ahead of the grand ceremony. Ravindra Gupta, owner, Chhappan Bhog, Lucknow, reveals how they created the boxes, ensuring that the prasad stays fresh. Sharing details, he says, “We had got the order to make 15,000 prasad boxes from Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust on January 13 in the evening. Each box had eight items inside. Prabhu se judi jo bhi cheezein hai, voh saari prasad box mein thhi.”Panjiri Laddoos to Ramdane ki chikki Ladoos were of course the main item. Ravindra elaborates, “Few days prior itself, we had started discussing which types of laddoos should go inside the box – should they be made of besan, gond or panjiri, as we had to ensure that the shape and taste of the prasad was not disturbed. We decided on panjiri laddoos made of wheat and desi ghee made as the grain has a big significance in the Avadh area.”
He adds, “Elaichi dana prasad ke roop mein milti aa rahi hai toh uska ek portion hua. We also had a packet of gur ki revdi. During Ram Navami for Ram ji ki pooja, chikki and panjiri are made from Ramdana so we had Ramdane ki chikki. Tulsi is auspicious so we definitely wanted to add tulsi leaves. It’s not a small feat to get them for 15,000 boxes, so we sourced them from Mathura and Vrindavan; each box had 5-6 tulsi ke pattiyaan packed in blotting paper. Raksha kalava and roli-akshat was also placed in a small pouch and bottle inside the box along with a Ram diya. For the decoration, the prasad box had a mandir picture on top with the logo of the Trust. Inside, we placed a thick paper sheet with the words Jai Shree Ram on it, and we had ensured that the words were full and not cut.