Bengaluru: Social media has been buzzing over the use of Marijuana for recreational purpose since the drug angle surfaced in the Sushant Singh Rajput death case.
Little do netizens know that it is served as prasad in some temples of northern Karnataka.
Mouneshwara temple at Tinthini in Yadgir district has an annual fair in January when devotees gather in thousands and receive small packets of marijuana. The devotees smoke the prasad after praying to Mouneshwara or Manappa.
The Karnataka Police, however, has been cracking down on this psychoactive drug from the cannabis plant, amid the sandalwood drug racket.
According to a Times of India report, devotees from Sharana, Aruda, Shaptha and Avadhuta traditions consume marijuana or ganja in various forms, believing that it will help them achieve enlightenment.
“The devotees and saints believe this sacred grass shows the path to enhancing knowledge of spirituality,” Gangadhar Nayak, a member of the temple committee, was quoted as saying.
The temple authorities have declined the sale of cannabis to outsiders for recreational purpose. “During the fair, anybody can come here and smoke. While some consume ganja after boiling it, others consume it like tobacco powder,” Nayak said.
