Offer a Meal to the Sangha
Nirmal Niranjana Trust serves meals to monks in Bodh Gaya on your behalf — in your own name, or in memory of someone you hold dear.
Why Offer Food to the Sangha?
Since the Buddha's time, monks and nuns have lived on the generosity of lay supporters. Offering a meal (dana) is one of the simplest and most cherished ways to take part in that tradition, and it is widely regarded as a source of merit for the giver.
Bodh Gaya draws monastics and pilgrims from across the Buddhist world, many of them elderly or travelling with very little. A warm meal served with care means a great deal here, and many donors also choose to dedicate the merit to family members, living or departed.
Not everyone can be in Bodh Gaya. That is why we offer on your behalf, and show you how it went.
Four Simple Steps
Choose an offering
Pick a package or tell us how many monks you would like to serve.
Share your dedication
Send us the name and occasion you wish to dedicate the offering to.
We prepare and serve
Our team prepares the meal and serves it on the date you choose.
Receive your photo report
We send photos of the offering so you can see it was carried out.
A Simple, Freshly Served Meal
The meal
Monks are served on steel plates at a shared seating area, so everyone can eat together in a calm, orderly way.
- Rice with dal and vegetables
- Drinking water for every guest
- Fruit, such as a banana
- Optional dakshina (a small cash offering)
In the cold season
In winter, many of the monks and elders who come for the meal are wrapped in shawls and blankets against the cold. A warm meal and a small dakshina offered with respect are especially welcome then.
Choose How Many to Serve
Meal for
Monks served in your name.
Meal for
A popular choice for memorials and anniversaries.
Meal for
For major occasions and community offerings.
Custom
Tell us how many you would like to serve.
Prices will be added here soon. Please message us for the current cost.
Dedicate the Merit to Someone You Love
Many of our donors live far from Bodh Gaya. They send us a dedication — the name of a loved one, an anniversary, a wish for health or peace — and we offer the meal on their behalf, presenting the dedication card as the offering is made.
- In memory of a departed family member
- For the health and happiness of loved ones
- On a birthday, anniversary or festival
- For peace for all beings
When Can You Offer?
Every Purnima
Join the monthly full-moon observance alongside Niranjana Deepotsav, held October through June.
Vaishakh Mahotsav
Offer during the three-day festival on May 19–21, 2027.
Winter season
Warm meals and dakshina for monks and elders during the cold months.
Your own date
A birthday, anniversary, or memorial day — tell us the date and we will plan around it.
You Will See Your Offering
Each offering is documented with photographs, and we share them with the donor once the meal has been served. Contributions go toward the food, water, fruit, and dakshina for the monks served, and the arrangements to serve them.
Nirmal Niranjana Trust is based in Bodh Gaya and works year-round with local monasteries and the Mahabodhi Society community.
From Recent Meals in Bodh Gaya
Offer a Meal to the Sangha
Message us on WhatsApp or email — we will reply with the next steps and current costs.
What to include in your message
- Your name and country
- How many monks you would like to serve
- Preferred date or occasion
- The name and message for your dedication
Frequently Asked Questions
No. Most of our donors are elsewhere. You send your dedication, we offer on your behalf, and we share photos afterward.
Yes. Many offerings are made in memory of departed family members. Just send us the name and any message you wish to include.
Costs depend on how many monks you would like to serve. Message us for the current figure; package prices will be listed on this page soon.
Please contact us on WhatsApp or by email and we will explain the available ways to send a contribution from your country.
Yes. We send photographs of the offering to the donor after the meal has been served.
Support Our Other Work, Too
The Trust also hosts the monthly Niranjana Deepotsav and works to revive the Niranjana river.