Maha Kumbh flips the plate as eateries go fully veg in UP towns

Faith is on the menu in UP's sacred triangle and the writing's on the wall - or rather, the signboards - as it's all about going veggie. The transformation of 'Sanjha Chulha' was as luminous as the bright red signboard that announced it. For 25 years, the popular eatery on Varanasi-Lucknow highway had been a must-stop for lovers of rich, meaty delicacies.

But as Maha Kumbh approached, owner Sanjeev Jaiswal found himself watching potential customers hesitate at the threshold. "We have been popular for our non-veg food. "We have always kept the kitchens and utensils separate," he said. "Yet, in the months before Kumbh, I noticed people turning away. It was a tough call, but a necessary one."

A week before the sacred gathering began, a fresh sign with green letters on a white background flickered to life below the original signboard - this one bearing the words: PURE VEG . The move proved to be nothing short of a masterstroke. Through the 45-day event and beyond, the restaurant bustled with pilgrims eager for a meal that aligned with their spiritual journey.

The sacred triangle of Kashi, Ayodhya, and Vindhyachal, rejuvenated by grand temple projects, has seen its culinary landscape undergo a shift dictated not by chefs or connoisseurs but by faith itself. Two phrases - 'PURE VEG' or 'Shudh Shakahari' - now dominate the signage of eateries in Varanasi, Ayodhya, and Prayagraj.

"It's not that people have suddenly abandoned non-vegetarian food," said Shankar Shastri, a tourist from Maharashtra. "But when they come to pay obeisance to Baba Kashi Vishwanath, they choose to go vegetarian. Even the assurance of separate utensils doesn't convince them otherwise."

The shift wasn't merely a passing trend. The winds of change first began stirring in Dec 2021, with rejuvenation of Kashi Vishwanath Dham. They gathered force with consecration of Ram Lalla's idol in Ayodhya in Jan 2024 and completion of the Vindhyachal corridor. The rise of this spiritual triangle reshaped not just the flow of pilgrims but the very nature of food market in the region.

"Emergence of Kashi-Ayodhya-Vindhya circuit as a major pilgrimage route between 2022 and 2024 changed everything," said Gokul Sharma, president of Banaras Hotels' Association. "Pilgrims now make up over 80% of the total visitors, and prefer pure vegetarian food."

The impact was felt at every level of food industry. Hotels, even those that traditionally catered to international tourists, noticed a stark shift in demand. "Among domestic tourists, veg-to-non-veg ratio, which was once evenly split, is now 80:20," said Rajiv Rai, general manager of a well-known Varanasi hotel.

In Ayodhya, the transformation was more absolute. Eateries that once offered a mix of cuisines transitioned entirely to vegetarian menus ahead of consecration of Ram Lalla's idol. Even global chains adapted - Domino's, for instance, serves only vegetarian food in the town.

The shift extended to larger commercial spaces as well. Atul Singh, owner of Ayodhya's Mall of Avadh, recalled how the food court once had non-vegetarian options. "We served non-veg food before, but we decided to go fully vegetarian," he said.

Vishal, owner of the newly built Hotel Maan Awadh, initially hired a chef from New Delhi known for his meat dishes. "But I had to replace him with a pure vegetarian chef later," he said.

Nowhere was the change more dramatic than in Prayagraj during Maha Kumbh, where even household kitchens went meat-free. "During Kumbh, almost 80-85% of hotels and restaurants turned vegetarian," said Harjinder Singh, president of Prayagraj Hotels and Restaurants Welfare Association. The city, which has around 400 restaurants and 280 hotels - not counting roadside eateries - saw an overwhelming shift towards vegetarianism.

As the tides of pilgrims receded, so did the absoluteness of change in some places. In Prayagraj, many eateries that had turned exclusively vegetarian during Kumbh have since reverted. "There was no demand for non-vegetarian food, so we adapted," said Raju Jaiswal, owner of a restaurant in city. "But now that things are back to normal, we serve both options again."

Still, the broader transformation of the region's food culture remains undeniable. The power of faith is rewriting menus, reshaping businesses, and illuminating cities and roads with the unmistakable glow of three simple letters: VEG.

(With Inputs from Arshad Afzaal Khan in Ayodhya & Rajeev Mani in Prayagraj)