Hundreds Of Priests Are In Need Of Help, You Can Donate Groceries To Feed Them Fresh Meals

World famous for its Jagannath temple, Puri in Odisha is one of the Dhamas (holiest of the holy places) out of four Dhamas - Puri, Dwarika, Badrinath & Rameswar in India. It won’t be an exaggeration to say that the city’s economy draws from the tourism that it attracts as a site of pilgrimage. The hotels, restaurants and the handicrafts business are all dependent on tourist inflow. But most importantly, the people who have absolutely no other source of income are the pujaris or the priests in the temples. With Odisha still being under a lockdown, there has been no tourism for the last six months and that has inadvertently affected the priests in Puri.

They haven't had a full meal in days, they’re struggling to feed their families 

Pujaris earn their livelihood based on the offerings given by devotees, and through functions and ceremonies that are conducted. They live a modest life and rely on essentials to get by. Unfortunately, ever since the beginning of the pandemic, they have been struggling.

 

“Tourists generally visit only the main Jagannatha temple. But the priests of the small temples are currently starving. With no tourists whatsoever in the past few months, our financial condition has been deplorable. Our families are suffering and there is nothing much we can do. These are difficult times, so every little penny counts. Our savings are over - we don’t know how to get by this situation,” - Pradhan Panda in one of the temples. 

  

You can support them 

Helpless and with no source of income, these pujaris in Puri now need your help to feed their families and themselves. For years, they have been helping us to offer our prayers and connect to the Almighty. Now when they are struggling, it is our duty to lend a helping hand to them.

Pure Devotion Foundation, an NGO based out of Rajasthan has decided to help these priests in need by distributing grocery kits to them and their families. The NGO has been working to set up a school for the villagers in the outskirts of Jaipur. The school will have all the facilities of a good CBSE school and teachers from Jaipur will be teaching the children. Pure Devotion Foundation has worked tirelessly during the pandemic to provide food to sadhus and widows in Vrindavan. Amid the corona outbreak, they've been striving to help vulnerable communities.

Note: All the donations  towards this campaign is eligible for Indian Tax Exemption.