Inside Palitana: a Vegetarian-Only City in Gujarat

According to a World Atlas report, 38% of the total Indian population follows a vegetarian diet. However, there is one city in Gujarat, Palitana, where only vegetarian food is allowed.

In this city, the sale, purchase, and consumption of non-vegetarian food is completely prohibited, as a way to respect the sentiments of the Jain community. To enforce this, penalties have been announced for violators.

The cuisine in Palitana is largely inspired by Jain traditions, and it excludes root vegetables. Some members of the Jain community also avoid milk and milk-based products.

Visitors to Palitana can try dishes such as ‘Rotlo’, a flatbread made using millets and topped with jaggery and ghee, as well as ‘Sev Tameta nu Shaak’, a tomato-based gravy with sev. Another popular dish in the area is the Dal Dhokli.

It is noteworthy that the government has imposed the ban on non-vegetarian food in Palitana to upheld the beliefs of the Jain community. This decision has considerably influenced the culinary landscape of the town.