3,500 Kg Mehendi Gone in 3 Hours: Why Lakhs Rushed to Jaipur’s Moti Dungri Ganesh Temple

GVI NETWORK. A viral social media reel triggered a massive rush of devotees at Jaipur’s famous Moti Dungri Ganesh Temple, where around 3,500 kg of mehendi (henna) was distributed as prasad within just three hours during the traditional Mehendi Utsav.

The viral reel claimed that applying mehendi offered at the temple could help unmarried men and women overcome marriage obstacles and get married soon. While this is a religious belief and social media claim rather than a scientifically established fact, it attracted a large number of devotees.

The popularity of the reel brought devotees to Jaipur from several parts of the country. People reportedly arrived from Delhi, Chandigarh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Pune, Indore, Bhopal and Agra, besides different parts of Rajasthan.

The sudden influx resulted in long queues and heavy crowds around the temple. According to reports, the temple administration estimated the total footfall at around 18 lakh devotees, with some people waiting for several hours for darshan.

The mehendi distribution was originally scheduled for the evening, but the temple administration started it earlier because of the overwhelming crowd. The distribution began at around 5 pm, and the entire stock of approximately 3,500 kg of mehendi was exhausted within three hours. Police personnel and volunteers were deployed around the temple to manage the crowd and traffic.

The Mehendi Utsav at Moti Dungri Ganesh Temple is associated with a tradition believed to be around 200 years old. What was once a relatively local religious tradition has gained nationwide attention with the rapid spread of reels and social media videos.