Ghia Anna, which literally means ghee rice, is a sacred and traditional dish offered to Lord Jagannath at the famous Jagannath Temple in Puri. It is part of the divine 56 Bhog (Chhappan Bhog), the elaborate food offerings prepared daily in the temple’s sacred kitchen and offered to the deities Lord Jagannath, Lord Balaram and Maa Subhadra following the temple rituals. The chappan bhog (56 Bhog) converts into prasad after offering to Lord Jagannath and then it is offered to Maa Bimala which makes it a Mahaprasad.
Unlike regular ghee rice, Jagannath Temple Ghia Anna is cooked with utmost purity, simplicity, and devotion, following age-old temple traditions maintained by the Mahasuaras. The dish is mildly flavored, aromatic, and best enjoyed with dalma, besara or ghanta tarkari.
In this blog, you will learn the authentic Ghia Anna (Ghee Rice) recipe, its spiritual significance in the Jagannath Temple Puri 56 Bhog, and how to prepare this sacred prasad at home while preserving its traditional essence
HOW TO MAKE JAGANNATH PURI TEMPLE STYLE GHIA ANNA/GHEE RICE – STEP BY STEP RECIPE
1. Preparing the Rice
- Take two cups of aromatic gobindobhog rice or ambemohar rice in a bowl
- Add sufficient water and wash the rice.
- Discard the water after washing the rice and keep it aside
2. Cooking the Ghia Anna(Ghee Rice)
- Take a clay pot or earthenware to cook the ghee rice. Pour four and half cups of water into the cooking pot and place it on the gas oven
- Once the water is hot, add these ingredients one by one :
- 2 Bay Leaves
- 4 Cloves (laung)
- Rock Salt as per taste
- 1 tsp of Black Salt
- 1 tbsp of Lemon juice
- Washed Rice
- Rotate the pot to gently mix the ingredients. Cover with the lid and cook the rice for 10 to 15 minutes.
3. Frying the Raisins
- Heat two tablespoons of ghee in a pan
- Fry one-fourth cup of raisins till plump
4. Prepare the Tempering
- Additionally, add one tablespoon of ghee to the existing ghee in the pan
- Temper the ghee with cumin seeds(jeera) and asafoetida(hing)
- Fry for few seconds till the cumin seeds starts to splutter
5. Final Steps to Cook the sacred Ghia Anna
- Pour the tempering on the cooked rice
- Add the fried raisins
- Mix the tempering and raisins with the rice.
6. Offering the Ghia Anna to Lord Jagannath
- Take the ghia anna or ghee rice in a small clay pot
- Place a tulsi leaf, top it with few fried raisins
- Offer the delicious and divine ghia anna bhog to Lord Jagannath
JAI JAGANNATH!!
HOW TO MAKE JAGANNATH PURI TEMPLE STYLE GHIA ANNA/GHEE RICE – WATCH VIDEO
