alcohol as offering

In the holy city of Varanasi, is the abode of Lord Kal Bhairav Nath, a reincarnation of Lord Shiva. Believe it or not, the only offerings that are made to God here is alcohol, be it whiskey or wine. Alcohol is poured directly into the deity’s open mouth, and the same is offered to devotees as Prasad. Unlike other shops outside temples in Varanasi that sell flowers and sweets as an offering, the stalls outside this temple offer only alcohol for sale. for Kaal Bhairav, the presiding deity of a famous shrine in the temple town, it has been business as usual. Between 21 April and 21 May,(Kumbh) the god was offered Rs 66 lakh worth of liquor. MYSTERIOUS POWER While banning the sale of liquor in honour of the Kumbh Mela, the government made an exemption for the Kaal Bhairav temple. This is because while several deities across the country are propitiated with alcohol, only Kaal Bhairav is supposed to be endowed with the mysterious power of drinking the liquor. The priest sits in front of the statue and pours the liquor in a stainless steel dish. He then places the dish next to slit that forms the lips of the statue, and Kaal Bhairav ‘drinks’ whatever is served. Till date, how this phenomenon occurs is a mystery to the scientific community. So, the government decided to set up two liquor counters right outside the temple premises. “Keeping in view the Simhastha fair, we opened two liquor counters, one for desi and the other for foreign liquor,” the deputy commissioner (excise), Raghavendra Upadhyay, said. “These shops have saved devotees from getting duped by non-licenced vendors.” https://thelogicalindian.com/news/kaal-bhairav-statue-drinks-rs-66-lakh-worth-of-liquor-during-kumbh-mela/ The Kal Bhairav temple is a Hindu temple located in the Ujjain city of Madhya Pradesh, India. It is dedicated to Kal Bhairav, the guardian deity of the city.[1] Located on the banks of the Shipra River, it is one of the most active temples in the city, visited by hundreds of devotees daily.[2] Liquor is one of the offerings made to the temple deity.[3][4] Liquor offering Liquor is offered to the temple deity as one of the five tantric ritual offerings known as panchamakara: madya (alcohol), maansa (meat), meena or matsya (fish), mudra (gesture or parched grain) and maithuna (sexual intercourse). In older times, all five offerings were made to the deity, but now only alcohol is offered; the other four offerings are in form of symbolic rituals.[3] Outside the temple, vendors sell baskets of offerings, containing coconuts, flowers and a bottle of liquor.[10] In 2015, the State Government set up liquor counters outside the temple to ensure that the devotees are not swindled by unlicensed vendors of alcohol. The counters sell both country liquor and foreign liquor.[11] Every day, hundreds of devotees offer liquor to the deity.[2] The devotees hand over the liquor bottles to the priest, who pours the liquor in a saucer. He then offers prayers and takes the saucer near the deity's lips, which have a slit. He tilts the plate a bit, and the liquor starts disappearing.[3] About one-third of the bottle is returned to the devotee as prasad.[10] The temple priests, as well as several devotees, claim that the slit doesn't have any cavity, and that the deity miraculously swallows the liquor offered to him. However, the temple priest does not allow the visitors to examine the statue. He also claims that only he can perform the miracle, and that the others who have tried to make the statue swallow the liquor have failed.[3]