Devotees roll on leftover food to thank the Lord Ghashi

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Ghashi,Devotees roll on leftover food to thank the Lord
Sporting traditional bhagwa dhotis known as kave munda, devotees roll on leftover food on plantain leaves at Gowd Saraswat Brahmins (GSBs) mandals as part of special seva to the Elephant God.

MUMBAI: Sporting traditional bhagwa dhotis known as kave munda,

on plantain leaves at Gowd Saraswat Brahmins (GSBs) mandals as part of special seva to the Elephant God. Known as madasthan, this age-old ritual from south Karnataka is performed daily by some 70-odd devotees daily during Ganeshotsav at

Ghashi,Devotees roll on leftover food to thank the Lord
an offering made mainly for wish fulfilment Ghashi , an offering made mainly for wish fulfilment, helps cure skin diseases. Janardhan Bhat, chairman of medical sub-committee, GSB Sabha-Kurla, said after devotees partake of the meals, they do not discard the used plantain leaves. “Those who perform the madasthan take a bath and dress in a bhagwa dhoti. They pray to Lord Ganesha, form a namaskaram pose and lie down on the floor. They come rolling from one end of the hall uttering Ganpati’s names and roll over the plaintain leaves with leftover food. After the ritual, they pray, take teertha from the priest, go for a bath and then take the prasad again,”said Bhat.

At the Annapurna Sabha Graha of the GSBs in King’s Circle, Wadala and Kurla, free meals are served to thousands of people daily. The plaintain leaves are used for the purpose of hygiene. Traditional fare comprising upkari, ghashi, sheet (rice), dalitoi, saar and dudhpaak (kheer) is served to devotees. “Approximately 1,800 people eat lunch at a time in six batches for five days. A total of 1.60 lakh coconuts are shipped from Mangalore. There are 60 cooks dressed in bhagwa dhotis, who start work at 3am and sleep only for an hour in a day,” said Satish Nayak, senior trustee, GSB Seva Mandal, King’s Circle.

Ghashi,Devotees roll on leftover food to thank the Lord
”said Nayak. Ghashi , the water level never drops during the five days,”said Nayak.