Beware of 'harmless' juices this Mahashivratri

INDORE: This Mahashivratri, do not be fooled by harmless looking fruit juices as they might contain Lord Shiva’s ‘prashad’, which will leave your head spinning for hours. Bhang, an edible preparation of cannabis, is distributed freely on Mahashivratri, which will be celebrated by the Hindu community on Friday. Given traditionally in the form of a tablet or mixed in milk-based sweet dishes like Shikanji or Thandai,

bhang

is now also served in the form of barfis, fruit juices and dry fruit preparations made using curd and milk and kulfis.

These items are offered to Lord Shiva on Maha Shivratri and then are distributed to devotees. While some temples clearly inform devotees of the presence of bhang in the prasad, others might skip the part.

“At some temples thandai is served separately and bhang tablets are kept separately for those devotees who wish to consume it with thandai. At the temple where I help in the Mahashivratri organisation, we serve thandai laced with bhang and this year we have placed an order of 50 litres of thandai,” Vishal Sharma, who has placed a special order of bhang for Shivratri, said.

For the comparatively few people who are enthusiastic to try bhang this Mahashivratri or Holi, shops in the city decorate their shops ahead of the two major festivals, Mahashivratri and Holi, when bhang is served. Shopkeepers have also increased their stock of bhang and have introduced new items laced with bhang.

“The sale of bhang during Mahashivratri and Holi increases by fifty times the regular sale. We also offer special items at the shops which are consumed by the customers as per their taste and choice,” Ankush Jaiswal of a popular bhang shop in the city said. Outside his shop, a board has been put up denoting the countdown to Mahashivratri.

Meanwhile regular consumers of bhang, have also expressed skepticism regarding the hygiene maintained while making bhang. “I feel bhang is a substance which should only be consumed if it is made under clean, safe and hygienic conditions. This is the reason why I always take bhang from an authentic shop in the city which is the most trusted and has maintained its standard for many decades,” Ritesh Bansal, a customer said.