" Bhog Naivedya delves\n into the origins of sacred foods in India and brings forth its incredible\n diversity. Brilliantly researched and engagingly written, Sujata’s book is\n peppered with delectable tales from mythology, sumptuous temple lore, the aromatic\n linkages with kings and saints, mouth-watering food descriptions and much\n more.   Travel from Badarinath Dham in\n the Himalayas to the Krishna temples at Mathura and Nathdwara to discover the\n lovingly-performed food rituals. Visit the Jyotirlinga of Kasi Vishwanath\n temple in Varanasi and Trimbakeshwar temple in Nashik and learn about Lord\n Shiva’s favourite foods. Moving to the east of India, we see a dramatic\n change in the offerings, especially in the bhog offered to Goddess Shakti at\n Kamakhya in Guwahati and then at Kalighat in Kolkata. Peep through the vents\n in the kitchen walls of Puri’s Jagannath temple and watch the preparation of\n Chappan Bhog in pots on clay chulhis (hearths), and thence to Tirupati to admire\n the elaborate food offerings to Lord Balaji. Wander into sacred groves and\n temples where serpent deities are worshipped with their choicest foods. Enjoy\n the colourful worship at ISKCON, where bhog represents a philosophy. Relish\n tasty prasadam at Srirangam and Chidambaram, follow Kumbakonam’s Navagraha\n trail and then halt at the Padmanabhaswamy temple for delicious\n payasams.   Listen to the boatmen of\n Kerala singing along the way to a gargantuan sadya (feast) at Aranmula\n Parthasarathy Temple. Tour the mega kitchens at Shirdi’s Prasadalaya and\n gratefully accept the langar at the Golden Temple at Amritsar, taste the Maha\n Ashtami Bhog at Kolkata’s Durga Pujo. Find the connection between Kannagi,\n who burnt Madurai into cinders, and Pongala, when millions of women\n congregate with their sacred hearths on the streets of\n Thiruvananthapuram.   This is not just\n faith, but also a nation’s food culture, brought to you on a puja thali!\n "