Do You Think Gods Are Only Served Sattvik Foods? Explore The Non-Vegetarian Prasadam Offered To Deities

For centuries, the bond between vegetarianism and spirituality in India has been tied together. From temple bhogs to sacred fasting rituals, a vegetarian diet has often symbolised purity and abstinence from tamasic food. Yet, beneath the popular image of sadhus indulging on sattvik broth and temple kitchens only serving rice and lentils lies a much more complex and popular ‘meaty’ ritual or tradition.

Contrary to the famous narrative, the sacred kitchens of Hinduism have not always been meat-free. Across the country, a number of Hindu temples and communities continue to offer non-vegetarian food to their deities and receive it back as prasad. These offerings are not only considered powerful expressions of age-old traditions but also customs and beliefs which are deeply rooted in the scripts and local folklore.

Meat as an offering

At the heart of this forgotten tradition is the Kamakhya Temple in Assam, a tantric shrine dedicated to the goddess of fertility. Each year during the Ambuchi mela, a goat is sacrificed and its meat is prepared without onions or garlic, and is offered to the goddess before being distributed as prasad. The temple also offers a revered cloth stained with what is believed to be the menstruating goddess’s blood.

Interestingly, a similarly named Kamakhya Temple near Shimla in Himachal Pradesh also continues the practice of animal sacrifice and meat distribution, reaffirming the goddess’s fierce and non-conformist spiritual identity across different regions.

Also Read: Have You Ever Wondered Why We Offer Food To God And What's The Sacred Power Of Prasadam?

Further south, in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh, the Kal Bhairav Temple is dedicated to a fearsome form of Shiva. Here, liquor and meat are part of the divine meal, which is offered to please the deity. Kamleshwar Mahadev Temple in Goa follows a less fiery but equally unique tradition- serving freshly cooked fish as prasad.

Similar traditions persist at the Tarkulha Devi Temple in Uttar Pradesh, where goats are sacrificed during Navratri, and at Kerala’s Parassinikaduvu Temple, where toddy and fried fish are considered sacred. In West Bengal, goddess Kali is worshipped with fish, meat and even alcohol- most notably Kalighat and Dakshineswar Temple.

Sacred Texts and Bloody Histories

These practices are ancient, the Vedas, dating back to 1500 BCE, sanctioned animal sacrifice as a legitimate ritual act. Food historian K.T. Achaya noted that as many as 50 types of animals were acceptable for sacrificial offerings during yajnas. These offerings were meant to nourish the gods and, by extension, the worshippers themselves.

Over time, however, religious reform movements such as Jainism and Buddhism and the increasing dominance of Brahmanical vegetarianism began to stigmatise meat consumption; what was once seen as an essential part of devotion slowly became taboo in Hinduism. By the 7th century BCE, vegetarianism had come to be seen as morally superior, and caste hierarchies reinforced it, which also elevated the vegetarian Brahmin as the custodian of purity and meat-eating communities to a lower status.

And yet in many regions, which were steeped in shakti worship, the animal sacrifice persisted. In Bengal and parts of South India, goddess worship includes meat, which is considered both divine and auspicious. Curiously, many of these meat-based offerings follow strict religious codes, including no onion, no garlic and often cooked only after a ritual bath or specific caste members. Ritual food traditions carried out by Kashmiri pandits were also shaped by climate and culture. The Pandit community included fish and lamb in the religious feasts as the harsh winter weather conditions limited winter vegetables, and meat became a necessity.

Food in India is never just food; it carries with it the debatable questions. As debates around the food purity and religious identity grow, it’s worth revisiting the bigger picture. The gods of power and destruction have accepted fish, liquor and meat and even blood as a part of their feasts. These offerings, far from being irrelevant, are sacred to the communities who prepare them.