The Gangadhareshwara temple follows a practice of serving buttermilk to its devotees

In Bengaluru for the past few years the Gangadhareshwara Temple, which is located in Bhuvaneshwari Nagar in T Dasarahalli, has been following a practice. As most temples in the city where devotees offer milk to perform ‘abhishekam’ to the deity. The milk which is offered once, it is never returned. However, the T Dasarahalli temple authorities had decided to do something different and started serving buttermilk back to the devotees.

Ishwarananda Swamy, the head of the temple, told a source that, “I was doing research for a long time as to how best we can serve devotees. I have also read that as milk is a very important product, it is better not to waste it. We do perform abhishekam, but take adequate care that other items used in abhisheka such as vermillion or turmeric don’t get mixed so that it milk doesn’t get spoilt. Then, we follow a hygienic process where in the milk can get fermented so that it turns into buttermilk. As it takes a day, we usually serve butter milk on Tuesdays.”

“It’s not that only those people who offer milk are given butter milk. Anyone can avail it. The butter milk can be even taken home or consumed at the spot itself,” said Radha Devi, a devotee.

The use of plastic is not encouraged by the temple officials, hence butter milk is not offered to the people who bring plastic utensils. “We need to follow a strict hygienic practice. We have also been in touch with food experts on the quality of butter milk offered. Since we started serving butter milk, we are getting more milk from devotees,” said an administrator.

In summer, it comes as a huge relief for devotees. Darshana Raj a devotee said that, “I think it’s a great practice. The butter milk really tastes good and my whole family consumes it.”