Vadodara: The impact of commercial LPG cylinder rationing has now extended beyond eateries and businesses to religious institutions. The Shri Mahaprabhujini Baithak Mandir in Godhra has announced that it will be unable to continue preparing and serving meals traditionally offered to devotees.In a notice displayed on Sunday, the temple informed devotees that services such as ‘samagri bhet’, ‘nek bhog’ and ‘manorath’— which involve preparing meals, sweets and other offerings against contributions—have been temporarily suspended.The baithak holds deep spiritual importance for followers of the Vaishnav sect, as it is one of the 84 sacred seats where Shri Vallabhacharyaji recited the Shrimad Bhagwat and delivered discourses during his travels. With his birth anniversary set to be observed on April 13, organizers are concerned that the ongoing shortage may also affect the distribution of prasad on the occasion.Temple sevak Nitinkumar Parikh said the restriction on LPG cylinders has forced them to limit cooking to essential offerings for the deity. “We tried to arrange additional cylinders to meet devotees’ requests, but were unable to procure any,” he said.He added that the decision was taken with reluctance. “We did not want to disappoint devotees, but the situation left us with no choice. We hope normalcy returns soon so that the celebrations can be conducted without constraints,” he said.
