Ram Mandir prasad not available online for devotees, Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Trust clarifies

Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra has clarified that they have not set up any online platform to help devotees get the 'prasad' offered to Ram Lalla at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.

Ahead of the Ram Mandir 'pran pratistha' ceremony in Ayodhya, many people have received the message claiming to offer delivery of 'prasad' from Ayodhya at your doorsteps. It is a new cyber fraud which has started to trick devotees.

In Hinduism, prasadis the offering made to a God or deity in the form of food and consumed later by the devotee. Hindus believe that consuming the prasad is like receiving a blessing from God.

A trust member told the Times of India, "No vendor or agency has been appointed by the trust to distribute the prasad online."

Anil Paranjape, a resident of Mumbai, approached the Ram Temple Trust's office on Wednesday to confirm whether the online platforms offering the prasad were reliable. "But I was not sure and hence visited the trust office to procure the prasad in bulk," he said.

The staff deployed at the office of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra handed him ten packets of the 'elaichi dana' with instructions to mix it with the other prasad for further distribution.

However, unlike other temples and religious shrines, carrying the prasadbeyond the security checkpoint has not been permitted in Ayodhya.

Prakash Gupta, the temple trust camp office in-charge, said, "Ram Temple Trust is a non-profit organisation. Prasad is only offered within the existing Ram temple to the devotees. No online service has been initiated so far. The prasad is offered free of cost to the devotees and no money is charged. People need to be cautious about online platforms and services as trust has not authorised anybody yet."

Once someone reaches these online platforms offering prasad, they ask for personal and bank account details. Within a matter of seconds, these scammers can gain access to your bank accounts. Police have urged people to report such cyber frauds on the National Cybercrime Helpline (1930) or lodge complaints through cybercrime.gov.in. "There is hardly any religious organisation or institution that delivers prasad like this. If anyone comes across such messages, please ignore them and don't click on any links," a police offer said.

The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust has created an exclusive gift package for all the guests. It includes 'motichoor ladoos' made of 'desi ghee' as prasad.

(With inputs from agencies)