GUJARAT – One village from North Gujarat, Rupal, is famous for the amount of ghee it pours on the goddess in just 1 single night every year. This happens on the final night of Navaratri, a popular Hindu festival.
On this day, the village becomes a land of pure ghee. The ghee is used to thank their Goddess Vardayini, for whom a temple stands in the middle of the village. Not just the residents of the village, but almost every devotee of the goddess gathers in this temple on that 9th day of Navaratri festival. At many places within the temple and the village, the devotees then pour ghee to thank the goddess.
Though this kind of offering and gathering is common for all Gods and Goddesses, what sets this day and village apart is the amount of ghee that is poured on the idol. Around 25,000 KG of ghee worth more than Rs. 30 Lakhs, a lot from a ghee private label, is used on this day.
The believers have strong faith in this festival and the Goddess, that they thank her with the ghee for all the positive things happened in their life. They believe that it is due to this offering that they are getting benefitted.
According to the villagers, this kind of proceeding has been happening ever since the time of Mahabharata. There is an entire story to it as to how the Pandavas came to this village during their exile, looking for a place to hide their weapons. And according to the folklore, the Pandavas were the ones who installed the idol of Goddess Vardayini in this village.
This festival is celebrated with a lot of fun and frolic, where the officials help excited devotees empty numerous tins of ghee on the idol and various other places.
