Mahaprasada (also called bhandarā),[1] is the consecrated food offered to the deity in a Hindu temple which is then distributed and partaken by all the devotees regardless of any orientation.
[2][3][4] Prasada is closely linked to the term naivedya, also spelt naivedhya, naibedya or naived(h)yam.
[5] It denotes anything, typically food, that is first offered to a deity or saint and then distributed in His or Her name to their followers or others as a good sign.
In its material sense, prasada is created by a process of giving and receiving between a human devotee and the god.
[citation needed] Offering food and subsequently receiving prasada is central to the practice of puja.