Ujjain (Madhya Pradesh), March 27 (IANS): Mahakaleshwar temple here, one of the 12 most venerated shrines of Lord Shiva in India, has ramped up by four to five times its production of sweets used as 'prasad' to cater to the rush of devotees ahead of Simhasth Kumbh.

The Simhasth Kumbh pilgrimage is expected to witness the arrival of about five crore (50 million) people in Ujjain over April 22-May 21 in one of the largest spiritual congregations anywhere in the world.

Visit to the Mahakaleshwar temple by a pilgrim is considered a must after a dip in the Shipra river at the Simhasth Kumbh.

On a routine day, the temple produces about 1,000 packets of 'laddu' to be used as an offering to Lord Shiva, says Priti Chauhan, the temple's assistant administrator.

That has already been increased to 4,000 to 5,000 packets weighing from 200 gm to one kg, she said.

The stepped up production anticipates the increase in daily arrival of pilgrims ahead of and during the Simhasth Kumbh, she said.

The capacity will further be increased as the need arises, she added.

'Prasad' is a devotional offering made to a god, typically consisting of food that is later shared among devotees.

In making its laddu, the Mahakaleshwar temple administration uses besan (gram flour), rava (a coarser wheat flour), ghee (clarified butter), cashew nuts, raisins, sugar and cardamom.