6 Indian Temples Where Meat, Fish, and Alcohol are Served as Prasad

In popular perception, Hinduism is synonymous with purity, vegetarianism, and sattvik food. From temple bhogs to fasting rituals, food offered to deities is assumed to be clean, light, and devoid of violence. But this is only part of the story.

Hidden in India’s sacred geography are powerful temples where offerings include goat meat, fresh fish, and even country liquor. These temples preserve ancient tantric, tribal, and folk traditions where food is not sanitized for comfort—but offered in its raw, potent, and symbolic form.



The Kamakhya Devi Temple in Guwahati, Assam, is one of the most powerful Shakti Peethas. It shatters almost every Brahmanical norm associated with "purity." The goddess here is worshipped not in anthropomorphic form, but as the yoni or female generative organ. During the Ambubachi Mela, it is believed that the goddess menstruates, and a blood-soaked cloth is distributed as prasad.

But Kamakhya is also one of the few temples where animal sacrifice continues openly. Goats are sacrificed during specific rituals. The meat, always cooked without garlic or onion, is offered to the goddess and then distributed as prasad. Here, blood is not impure—it is divine.

This form of worship comes from Tantra, which embraces all aspects of existence—including death, blood, and sexuality—as valid paths to the divine.



Kal Bhairav, the fierce form of Shiva, is worshipped across India, but the Ujjain temple dedicated to him is particularly famous. Here, devotees don’t offer flowers or laddoos. They bring bottles of country liquor, which are poured directly into the mouth of the deity.

The temple even sells alcohol in its stalls—legally sanctioned for this religious use. Devotees claim that only a portion of the alcohol disappears, as though the god has accepted his share.

Kal Bhairav isn’t just a protector of time—he is a guardian of death, chaos, and secrecy, and in Tantric traditions, liquor (madya) is one of the panchamakara (five forbidden substances) offered during secret rituals.



In Bengal, Kali is not a gentle goddess. She is fierce, wild-haired, and often depicted with a necklace of skulls and a skirt of human arms. Her worship includes blood, meat, and alcohol—not as pollution, but as expressions of devotion.

At temples like Kalighat and Dakshineswar in Kolkata, non-vegetarian food is not uncommon. During Kali Puja and Navaratri, devotees offer goats, fish, and liquor. In rural Bengal, animal sacrifices are followed by elaborate feasts where the meat becomes sacred prasad.

The belief is clear: Kali, who exists beyond societal norms, is pleased by sincere offerings, not sanitized food.



In the temple town of Goa, at Kamleshwar Mahadev, Lord Shiva is offered freshly caught fish. This might seem shocking to someone used to the sattvik image of Shiva meditating in the Himalayas. But in Goa, the divine integrates seamlessly with the local fishing culture.

The ritual follows strict guidelines: the fish is washed, cleaned, and offered with reverence. It is later consumed by priests and devotees, following sacred rites. The offering is not casual—it is deeply ritualistic.

Such practices reflect a fusion of Shaiva and local tribal traditions, where gods evolve with the people and their livelihoods.



Himachal Pradesh is known for its serene temples and Devi worship. But beneath this tranquility lie temples that preserve ancient practices of animal sacrifice.

At the Kamakhya Temple in Himachal, goat sacrifices continue during specific festivals. In Kullu and surrounding regions, Dussehra is marked not with Ram Lila, but with ritual blood offerings to local deities. These deities, while often aligned with mainstream gods, are worshipped in forms closer to gram devtas—local protectors who demand meat and liquor.

Here, purity is defined not by abstinence but by sincerity.



Kerala’s temple landscape is often seen through the lens of classical dance, strict rituals, and temple arts. But many temples, especially in the Malabar region, offer toddy (palm wine), fried fish, and meat to their deities.

The offerings follow ancient customs, sometimes linked to Theyam traditions, where gods possess human mediums. Before rituals, priests bathe, abstain from certain foods, and cook the offerings in specific ways—without onion or garlic.

Devotees believe that such prasad nourishes not just the body but the ancestral and spiritual forces who bless them in return.

Why then, do we mostly hear that Hinduism is vegetarian?

The rise of Jainism, Buddhism, and later Vaishnavism brought strong non-violence (ahimsa) ethics. Over centuries, especially under Brahmanical influence, vegetarianism was associated with spiritual superiority, while meat and alcohol were branded impure.

But Hinduism is not monolithic. Shakti traditions (Shakta), Tantra, and tribal cults preserved the older, non-sattvik forms of worship. In these traditions, life energy—however raw—is sacred. The gods are not squeamish. They accept what is offered with true devotion.

Even when meat or liquor is offered, the process is not casual:

• No garlic or onion is allowed.
• Offerings are made after ritual baths.
• Specific castes or priests prepare the food.
• The deity is offered first, only then do devotees consume it.
• Often, the entire act is tied to astrological timing, seasonal festivals, or Tantric rituals.

This is not hedonism—it is disciplined devotion in a different form.

The idea that gods only eat sattvik food is a half-truth. From goat meat in Assam, liquor in Ujjain, fish in Goa, to fried lamb in Kashmir, India's temples reveal a deeper, more diverse picture of faith.

These offerings are not polluting—they are potent. They reflect ancient beliefs where divinity includes all aspects of existence—life, death, blood, and nourishment.

In an era where food politics and purity debates are on the rise, it's worth remembering: Gods don’t reject food offered with love. It is we who impose conditions.