Devotees offer onions at two temples in Rajasthan

Jaipur, Sep 4: Even as onion prices have sky- rocketed across the country, there are two lok-devta (folk deity) temples in Rajasthan where onions and pulses are given as offerings for gods during the ongoing Bhadra month.

Devotees offer at least 250 gram of fresh onions and gram pulses while praying at the two temples of Gogaji and Guru-gorakhnath in Gogamedi village of Hanumangarh district in the Bhadra month.

At famous Gogaji and Guru Gorakhnath temples' fairs, over 40 lakh devotees from northern states of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Harayna, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh visit offering onions and gram pulse offers prayers and pay their obeisance to thelok-devta, Mahant Roopnath said today.

About 50 to 70 quintals of onions are collected at two temples in two fortnights of Bhadra month and the offerings were then sold in the market to collect money for welfare of stray cattle as "go seva", Mahant who manages 'puja' of Guru-Gorakhnath temple said.

The Mahant said Lok Devta Gogaji, the King of Dadreva area in Tarangar area, was a disciple of Guru-Gorakhnath hundreds of year ago and Gogaji had lost a war while saving cattle from the enemy.

During war the soldiers used to bring onions and gram pulse as their ration or food, he said. Guru-Gorakhnath also took "samadhi" at the same spot, and since then devotees visit the temples every year in Bhadra month offering onions and gram pulses, he added.

Gogaji temple is run by Rajasthan's Devasthan Department while Guru-Gorakhanth temple by its trust.

PTI