- Title: INDIA: Devotees serve a thousand kilos sweet to Hindu God on religious festival
- Date: 19th April 2011
- Summary: VARANASI, UTTAR PRADESH, INDIA (APRIL 17, 2011) (ANI - NO ACCESS BBC) SIGN AT THE ENTRANCE OF THE VENUE READING IN HINDI AN IMAGE OF HINDU GOD HANUMAN AND HIS MOTHER MADE ON THE SIDE OF THE GIANT SWEET A SIGNBOARD AT THE BOTTOM THE SWEET READING IN HINDI 'GREAT OFFERING 1111 KILOS' AN IMAGE OF HANUMAN A FIGURE OF HANUMAN MADE ON THE SIDE OF THE SWEET PEOPLE SITTING THE GIANT SWEET ON DISPLAY A GROUP OF DEVOTEES DANCING A FEMALE DEVOTEE SINGING A GROUP OF DEVOTEES SINGING NEAR THE SWEET (SOUNDBITE) (Hindi) KAUSHAL SHARMA, ORGANISER, SAYING: "We had a thought to make a sweet like this. And today God has made it a reality. The inspiration behind it is that there should be peace in the world. Sometimes there are disasters such as the recent tsunami in Japan. Our Lord Hanuman is everybody's protector. We all pray to him to maintain peace and harmony in the world. May our religion increase more and may people have respect in their minds." GIANT SWEET ON DISPLAY (SOUNDBITE) (Hindi) ANUPAMA SINGH, A DEVOTEE, SAYING: "This sweet weighing 1,111 kilos has been served to God. We try something new every year. This procession has been organized for the last eleven years. The number of followers here increases day by day." TWO FEMALE DEVOTEES DANCING IN THE RELIGIOUS PROCESSION A GROUP OF WOMEN WALKING IN THE PROCESSION
- Embargoed: 4th May 2011 10:05
- Keywords:
- Location: India, India
- Country: India
- Topics: Arts / Culture / Entertainment,Religion
- Reuters ID: LVAA9WDMNES3NDD26X4SYLWLEUGC
- Aspect Ratio: 4:3
- Story Text: A sweet weighing over a thousand kilograms was offered on Sunday (April 17) to Hindu deity Hanuman at a temple in India's northern holy city of Varanasi on the eve of the religious festival dedicated to the Monkey God.
The candy, weighing exactly 1,111 kilograms, was offered at the city's famous Sankat Mochan Temple on the eve of the festival Hanuman Jayanti dedicated to Lord Hanuman.
A priest said that the yearly procession to the Temple on the eve of the festival has completed eleven years and also Lord Hanuman is regarded as the eleventh incarnation of the Lord Shiva, the Hindu Trinity presiding over Destruction and Resurrection; the other two being Brahma (Creator) and Vishnu, the Preserver.
"We had a thought to make a sweet like this. And today God has made it a reality. The inspiration behind it is that there should be peace in the world. Sometimes there are disasters such as the recent tsunami in Japan. Our Lord Hanuman is everybody's protector. We all pray to him to maintain peace and harmony in the world. May our religion increase more and may people have respect in their minds," said Kaushal Sharma, the organizer of the event.
Devotees thronged in large numbers to see the giant sweet which was on display at the temple complex.
"This sweet weighing 1,111 kilos has been served to God. We try something new every year. This procession has been organized for the last eleven years. The number of followers here increases day by day," said Anupama Singh, a devotee.
It was planned for the sweet to be distributed among devotees after the rituals are performed on the day of Hanuman Jayanti.
Hanuman Jayanti, which marks the birthday of Hanuman, will be celebrated on Monday (April 18) by devotees all over India. - Copyright Holder: ANI (India)
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