CHENNAI: Soon devotees will be able to relish breakfast and dinner as part of ‘annadhanam’ (free meals) at select major temples in the state with Hindu religious and charitable endowments (HR&CE) department planning to roll out a diabetic-friendly, healthy menu.
The initiative is planned at 17 major temples in the state, including Srirangam, Palani, Tiruvannamalai and Tiruchendur.
We are checking the kitchen capacity and other aspects to see if it can be implemented,” said HR&CE minister C Ramesh. “We will decide on the timing and menu after consulting with the devotees,” he said. Annadhanam is served typically from 8am to 10pm in major temples in the state. “This is in the discussion stage. Usually, rice and accompaniments are served to the devotees. But many elderly people and diabetics are unable to partake the food. So, we are contemplating on serving healthy food. He distributed prasadam prepared by the administration of Parthasarathy Swamy Temple in Triplicane to devotees.
Ramesh on Friday launched the scheme to standardise the preparation and sale of prasadam at temples in the state.