Panchamrit Shrinking Mahakal Temple Shivling? Supreme Court to Decide on Restricting Quantity of Offering

SC to Decide on Restrictions on Panchamrit Offering at Shivling of Mahakal Temple

New Delhi, Oct 25: The Supreme Court is set to decide on whether Panchamrat should be offered to the Shivling at the Mahakaleshwar temple in Ujjain and if so, what the quantity offered should be. The court formed a committee of experts that visited the Mahakaleshwar temple in Ujjain recently. The committee has recommended restricting certain offerings by devotees to save the Shivling.

A body of intellectuals, Ujjaini Vidwat Parishad, started the debate over the Shivling saying it has shrunk due to excessive "bhaang shingar" (offering of bhaang) and panchaamrit (milk, curd, honey, sugar and ghee).

According to reports, the expert committee, consisting of officials of Archaeological Survey of India and Geological Survey of India, have said that bhaang offering is not the reason of shrinking of the Shivling. The panel has, however, recommended that restrictions be imposed on the number of devotees in the sanctum sanctorum of the temple.