Everything you need to know about India's largest vegetarian feast

One of such festivals is the Aranmula Valla Sadhya, an annual Hindu celebration hosted by the Aranmula Parthasarathy Temple. 

This event takes place in Kerala, India and usually commences in July every year. The festival spans two months and consists of daily feasts called sadhyas, which are offered by devoted followers of Lord Krishna, the temple's presiding deity.

Aranmula Vallasadhya is a ritual offering to the deity Lord Parthasarathy and with over 70 dishes served. This is arguably one of the largest vegetarian feasts in the world.

The feast are all traditional vegetarian dishes, all served on banana or plantain leaves. Each meal typically includes a selection of 10 to 20 different dishes.

The largest and most significant sadhya, usually consists of up to 50 to 64 dishes. This is reserved for Ashtami Rohini Day, which coincides with Lord Krishna's birthday.

These dishes are believed to be Lord Krishna's favourites and are served in a specific order. The feast includes mango pickle (manga achar), spiced lentils (parippu), vegetable stew (sambar), dry vegetable curry (thoran), vegetables cooked in yogurt (kaalan), thin and crisp flatbreads (pappadams), plantain chips, and many more delicacies. For dessert, the feast concludes with a delightful rice and milk dish flavored with cardamom and saffron, known as payasam, accompanied by fresh bananas.

To complement the meal, a special herbal water called vellam is served.

The reputation of the Aranmula Valla Sadhya is evident from the crowd it attracts. Each feast serves a minimum of 250 people, and in recent years, it has served over 100,000 Indians annually.

In 2016, an estimated half a million people participated in this grand celebration.  

Behind this grand festival lies an intriguing legend. According to the legend, a devoted Brahmin once vowed to provide food and drinks for the Thiruvona Sadhya, a Kerala-wide feast that takes place on the final day of the Onam festival. The Brahmin promised to deliver the feast in a boat called the Thiruvona Thoni, but the boat came under attack from enemy forces during its journey along the Pamba River. Fortunately, local snake boats from the surrounding area came to their rescue, saving the day.

To commemorate this epic feat, the Aranmula Valla Sadya festival was born.