Jaipur, December 28: Scores of men gathered in Rajasthan's Jhalawar district and poured about 11,000 litres of milk, ghee and curd in the foundation pit of Devnarayan temple there. Reports inform that the men held big cans containing milk, curd and ghee that were offered especially by people of the Gujjar community among others. According to a report by Hindustan Times, the temple is believed to be constructed in Ratlai region of Jhalawar district. The temple is being built at a cost of Rs 1 crore and will be ready in two years, the report added.

Ramlal Gujjar, spokesperson of the temple construction committee, was quoted in the report saying that a total of 11,000 litres of milk, desi ghee and curd was collected from the Gujjar community members and others for the foundation ceremony of the Devnarayan temple. He said that this was done as a mark of reverence for deity Lord Devnarayan. Kerala Farmers Pour 80,000 Litres of Milk into Drain After Tamil Nadu Stop Importing Amid Coronavirus Lockdown.

Elaborating further, he said that out of the 11,000 litres, 1,500 litre was curd and 1 quintal was desi ghee, while rest was milk. The total cost of all the three things was nearly Rs 1.50 lakh, the official added. The spokesperson said that the temple construction committee had appealed to the Gujjar community members a day before the ceremony and the people generously offered it.

According to the HT report, when Ramlal was asked if it is a mandatory tradition of the Gujjar community to pour milk for such ceremonies, he said that it is not compulsory but it has been done a few times in the past. He said pouring milk is not at all a waste as in Gujjar community it is poured on deity Devnarayan as it protects our cattle.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 28, 2020 02:36 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).