Marijuana Trail: Some Temples In Karnataka Serve 'Ganja' As Prasad, To Help Devotees Achieve 'Enlightenment'

Cannabis is served as prasad in many temples in Karnataka as many saints and devotees believe in its "enlightening" effects.

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With the entire crackdown on drug peddlers in Mumbai and in Karnataka, after the drug angle in Sushant Singh Rajput and the Sandalwood drug racket bust respectively, it has come to the fore that Marijuana is openly served as offering in several temples in Karnataka. Marijuana- which in generic terms is often referred to as weed, is considered sacred in certain temples of North Karnataka, where it is served as Prasad. An underlying belief is that it helps the devotees to achieve enlightenment, said a report in Times of India. It said that the devotees who follow Sharana, Shaptha, Aruda, and Avadhuta traditions also consume marijuana or ganja as it is colloquially called. It is to be noted that even the recreational use of Marijuana is prohibited in India even though Cannabis has been used since ancient times and used with Indian drinks in different forms such as lassi and bhang thandai. Marijuana and drugs have been a hot topic after it has come to the fore that Sushant Singh Rajput’s girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty and her brother Showik were found procuring drugs from peddlers. In Mouneshwara temple in Yadgir district which holds an annual fair in the month of January, devotees are given small packets of Ganja which they smoke after offering prayers to Lord Manappa. As per reports, a member of the temple committee has said that the devotees and saints believe that marijuana shows the path to enhancing knowledge of spirituality which is why during the fair, everybody is allowed to consume cannabis.