Around 11,000 litres of milk, curd and desi ghee was poured into a pit during the foundation ceremony of Devnarayan temple in Rajasthan by Gujjar community members in Ratlai area of Jawahar district.Of the 11,000 litres, 1500 litre was curd and 100 kg was desi ghee, while the rest was milk. The total cost of all ingredients was ₹1.50 lakh. The temple itself is being built at the cost of ₹1 crore and will be ready in two years.The community believes that deity Devnarayan protects their cattle, and hence they owe everything to the Lord. The donations were given by the Gujjar community on an appeal by the temple construction committee, Hindustan Times reported.’We collected 11,000 litres of milk, desi ghee and curd from the Gujjar community members and even others for the foundation ceremony of the Devnarayan temple as a mark of reverence for deity Lord Devnarayan,’ said Ramlal Gujjar, the temple construction committee spokesperson.He clarified that although it is not compulsory to pour milk during the foundation ceremonies, it has been done in the past. ‘It is nothing as compared to what lord gives us,’ Ramlal said. The tradition of offering milk, other eatables or even edible oil is not new and has been followed in several religions and in different sects of Hinduism. During the Mahamastabhisheka of lord Bahubali in Karnataka, which is held every 12 years, milk, sugarcane juice, and saffron paste are offered. In Shani Shingnapur in Maharashtra, devotees offer oil as a reverence to Lord Shani. In many Hanuman temples, oil is offered to the deity on every Saturday.

Also Read: Uttar Pradesh Govt To Start 85 Water Harvesting Projects In Drought-Prone Areas By 2021-2