The Chamoli district administration has tied up with e-commerce major amazon.com for online delivery of prasad for the devotees of Badrinath, the shrine of Lord Vishnu, as the pilgrims visit to the sacred temple have gone down appreciably because of the raging coronavirus disease (Covid-19) outbreak, officials said.
A devotee will get five items as part of the “Panch Badri Prasadam”, whose order can be placed on amazon.com.
Chamoli district is home to Panch Badri temples dedicated to Lord Vishnu such as Badrinath, Adi Badri, Bhavishya Badri, Vridha Badri, and Yogdhyan Badri.
Swati S Bhadauria, district magistrate (DM), Chamoli, explained the reason behind the digital initiative.
“The aim of making the prasad available online is to reach Lord Badrinath’s devotees across the length and breadth of the country. It will also provide a livelihood to women, who are associated with self-help groups (SHGs) amid the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic,” the DM said.
She said about 90 women from 18 SHGs are involved in making the prasad that is being delivered online for devotees, whose visits to the shrine have appreciably gone down because of Covid-19 that has hit the livelihood of a section of Chamoli residents hard.
“We are making the prasad available in two forms — in an attractive jute bag and a beautiful box. Each packet will contain five items, including a coin of Lord Badrinath, holy water of river Saraswati, herbal dhoop (incense stick), Himalayan Damask rose water, and fragrant Badri Tulsi, which is offered to Lord Badrinath. The cost of prasad for the jute bag is Rs 372 and the one in the box is for Rs 322,” said the DM.
She said the prasad is available from an outlet near the shrine since last year.
“However, the district administration thought of making it available online this year because of the pandemic. The initiative will also help the SHGs to earn a livelihood amid these hard times,” she added.
Earlier, the administration of Rudraprayag district, which hosts the Kedarnath shrine, also started the online delivery of Lord Kedarnath’s prasad from July 21.
