“Sri Krishna With Chicken For Vishu, Bhagwan Ganesha With Chicken Biryani For Ganesha Chaturthi: Hindu Deities Used To Sell Meat During Hindu Festivals”, TheCommuneMag, 15 Sep 2026.

“Hindu festivals are increasingly being turned into a playground for provocative advertising, with Hindu deities being dragged into non-vegetarian food promotions in Kerala and Tamil Nadu. From Krishna being placed alongside chicken during Vishu to Ganesha being used to sell chicken biryani during Vinayagar Chaturthi, the message is hard to miss: when it comes to Hindu religious imagery, apparently anything goes in the name of advertising.

During Vishu in Kerala, posters from multiple restaurants showed Lord Krishna alongside chicken, biryani and other non-vegetarian dishes. Months later, ahead of Vinayagar Chaturthi in Tamil Nadu, a Tirunelveli biryani shop displayed a banner depicting Lord Vinayagar cooking chicken biryani.

The two incidents, though separated by geography, followed a strikingly similar template: a Hindu deity, a Hindu festival and non-vegetarian food brought together in a commercial advertisement.

Vishu Poster Incident

In Kerala, the controversy first erupted over a Vishu greeting poster from Mehr Mandi & Grills in Cherthala, Alappuzha. The poster featured Lord Krishna alongside a mandi rice and grilled chicken dish. The advertisement triggered protests and widespread criticism from Hindus who objected to the use of a revered deity to promote meat-based food during Vishu.

The controversy did not remain confined to one restaurant.

Similar Vishu-themed posters subsequently surfaced from other establishments, including Go Grill Mandi Mahal Hotel in Erattupetta, Mandi Manzil Hotel Group, which has outlets in Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam and Alappuzha, and Thalassery Kitchen in Kozhikode………”

Read the full article at TheCommuneMag.