No one is permitted to climb onto this sacred pedestal. From here the deities bless their devotees in a spacious audience hall.

The deities are most revered in the state and beyond as living gods and are believed to be worshipped in the  tantric form of ritual as well. Everything here is called Bada or Great like Bada Thakura, Bada Deula, Bada Danda and even the principal meal cooked for the mid day offering is called Mahaprasad. Mahaprasad is a 56-course meal for the god which is shared by the devotees who throng the temple. Mahaprasad is of two types, Sankhudi and Nisankhudi, meaning cooked food, and dry food or snack offerings.

When the cooking is over and offered to the main deities, it is then offered to Goddess Vimala in another temple next to the main temple and after she partakes the bhog is called Mahaprasad. There is an interesting legend about this. When King Indradyumna finished erecting the temple, he went to invite Lord Brahma to come and consecrate the edifice. It took a long time as Brahma was in meditation. When he came back, another goddess, Vimala, had already taken possession of the massive temple. She agreed  to vacate the abode if another temple for her was built in the same courtyard and that she would be the first to receive the god's food leftovers. She was appeased and the tradition is being maintained since then.

The Mahaprasad is revered by Hindus. The temple kitchen prepares the meal on a massive scale so that no one goes hungry. It is the largest kitchen in the world which can feed one lakh people at a time everyday.

The kitchen is very large, 150 by 100 feet in area and there are 250 earthen havens inside. Six hundred suaras or cooks are engaged for the cooking and 400 helpers aid them. There are three types of chullahs called Anna Chullah, Ahia Chullah and Pitha Chullah. The fire in the kitchen is called Vaishnabagni. Goddess Lakshmi is in charge of the kitchen and she cooks four dishes such as Bhima Paka, Nala Paka, Souri Paka and Gouri Paka. Simultaneously, 752 chullahs are used to cook the meal. Dalma, dal with vegetables, is prepared in four flavours, khaa and saga are the other delicacies.

The chullahs are quite big, 4 by 2 and a half feet in diameter and are 2 feet in depth.  The middle portion is called Acchia where charcoal is burnt to cook the dal and curry.

Bhima Paka cooking means Bada tiana, Guda khiara, Pakala nadia rasa, Pura pitha, Biri pitha and Guda kahara.

Nala Paka involves shakara, Tiana, Lapara and panas. Sauri Paka involves Mahura, Desi aloo bhaja, ada Pachedi, Guda labanga dishes, and Gauri paka involves Muga tiana, Saga.

The water of two 100-foot deep wells, Ganga and Jamuna, inside the temple premises are used for the kitchen.

Four types of rice are cooked in the temple called Shali anna, Khira anna, Badhi anna and Shitala anna using pure ghee, milk, curd and spices. Kanika with lots of desi ghee and sugar, salted rice, plain rice, mahura, besara, raita.

The hearths have six corners and the fire is lighted on the Nab chakra yantra according to tantric invocations  and nine earthen pots are arranged at a time on the chullah. Cooking involves only steaming. Earthen pots are used for steaming ingredients and discarded after one use. The cooks and their helpers are called Suaras. They cover their mouths during the holy cooking so that no dirt falls into the food being prepared for the gods. This type of cooked food offering is called Sankhudi and if there is any untoward incident occurs that defiles the food, it is buried and not used.

Mahaprasad is cooked on such a large scale that it can always feed lakhs of believers and it is not barred to anyone on the basis of caste, creed or religion. This is sold to the public in a large compound called Ananda Bazaar and in Odisha this is also carried for ritual purposes to towns in the surrounding areas. There is no change in the menu since it was introduced in the 12th century.

Lord Jagannath is fed with Chhena Poda during his annual Rath Yatra when he is seated in his chariot.

The gods eat five times a day, in the morning it is Gopala Ballava bhog and then at about ten in the morning Sakala Dhupa. Sakala Dhupa consists of 13 items. Enduri cake is a special offering along with Mantha puli. During Bada Simhara the deities partake of Pakhala with dahi and Kanji payas. The offerings are made in the bhog mandapa, about 200 feet from the Ratna Vedi. This is called Chatra Bhog which was introduced by Adi Shankaracharya in the 8th century to help pilgrims share the temple food.

The mid day meal is called Madhyanha dhupa and at about eight in the evening it is Sandhya Dhupa and finally it is Bada Simhara Dhupa. Breakfast is a seven item treat — khua, lahuni, sweetened coconut grating, coconut liver, and puffed rice sweetened with sugar known as khai and curd and bananas.

According to Nilachala Mahatmya texts, Narada was eager to taste Mahaprasad and came disguised as a woman. Lakshmi recognised him and offered him some. Another tale mentions Krishna was having his meal in Brajadhama, and Narada had also joined him. When Narada reached Kailash, a particle of the food was still clinging to his beard which Shiva gladly ate. When his consort Gauri wanted a bit, Lord Shiva did not give her. When Gauri asked for it from Lord Krishna, the latter assured her that she would appear as Goddess Vimala in Kali Yug and would have the opportunity then.

There are six steps of the offering of Mahaprasad. First Goddess Lakshmi lights the hearth and the food is kept in golden utensils with Srijantra etched on them. The Dwabinshkhyari Patala Nrusingha mantra is chanted  followed by Govinda Ashtadasakshya Gopala mantra, and then it is offered on the Vairavi Chakra and  after that offered to Goddess Vimala and then to the rest of the deities residing in the temple courtyard, like Prahllada, Biswakasana, Shuka, Bainetrya, Hanuman, Narada, Indradyumna and Debala.

The cooks observe absolute sanctity inside the kitchen. They abstain from eating paan, don't wear any beads around their necks, and don't use improper words or gossip.

The tradition of Mahaprasad began during the reign of King Yayati Keshari. It was disrupted for some years because the temple was defiled by invaders and then it resumed the tradition.

Mahaprasad is of two types, dry and cooked. Anna, kanika, besara, dali, dalma, khatta, mahura, saga are the cooked Mahaprasad and gaja, khaja, puli, chakuli, manohara, jhili, arisa, kakara and podapitha are the dry Mahaprasad.

The rice when dried is called Nirmalaya and what is eaten with two fingers is called Kaibalya. It is believed to mingle with the body and pave the way for salvation.

Among Oriya families Mahaprasad is considered sacred for feasts during shradha ceremonies. Nirmalaya is offered to a dying person. It is believed that after taking part of nirmalya everything becomes sacred. They form friendships by exchanging dry nirmalya and ties like marriage are also formed on this basis.

There is a caste of servitors among the 36 types in the Puri temple called Kumbhakaras or potters, who provide the earthen pots called kudua and handi in which the Mahaprasad is available. The king of Puri had provided them with 143 acres of land for this purpose. They have a significant role to perform in the everyday cooking in the holy temple. And for that they recovered Khei or food for one meal.  They make the earthen pots with utmost care.