- On Sunday, Zomato issued a statement saying that the ad referenced 'thalis' at 'Mahakal Restaurant', and not the revered Shree Mahakaleshwar Temple.
- The restaurant aggregator also said that the ‘Mahakal’ thali advertisement was part of its pan-India campaign in which top local restaurants in each city and their top dishes based on popularity were identified.
- The Gurgaon-based company said that as Mahakal Restaurant is one of the high-order-volume restaurant partners in Ujjain and their thali is a recommended item on its menu, it was addedas part of the advertisement.
- The statement says, “We deeply respect the sentiments of the people of Ujjain, and the ad in question is no longer running. We offer our sincerest apologies, for the intent here was never to hurt anyone's beliefs and sentiments."
- Zomato said that the company has withdrawn the ad.
Two priests of the famous Mahakal temple of Ujjain on Saturday demanded that online food delivery firm Zomato withdraw an advertisement featuring Bollywood actor Hrithik Roshan as it offends Hindu sentiments.
In the ad, Roshan says he felt like having a "thali" (food platter) in Ujjain so he ordered from "Mahakal".
The Mahakaleshwar or Mahakal temple of Shiva in Ujjain is one of twelve `Jyotirlingas' which attracts devotees from across the country.
Priests of the temple Mahesh and Ashish said Zomato should withdraw the advertisement immediately and tender an apology.
Devotees are served `prasad' on a thali and the ad hurts the feelings of Hindus, they claimed.
They also approached Ujjain district collector Ashish Singh who is the chairman of the Mahakal temple trust and sought action against the company so that no one mocks the Hindu religion again, the priests said.
Speaking to reporters, Singh termed the ad as "misleading", saying that the temple offers free meals as `prasad' and it is not sold.
