Patna hotels are gearing up for Prakash Utsav, in honour of Guru Gobind Singh's 350th birth anniversary, with lip-smacking Punjabi food.

Around five lakh devotees from around the world are expected to participate in the event, and most of them have booked hotel rooms in advance.

"We will serve a special menu from January 3-6 for guests staying at our hotel for the Utsav. The menu will be changed to cater to a Punjabi palate, and will include dishes like Amritsari machali, Patiala chicken, and Amritsari saag, said executive chef of the Panache, Soumya Mukherjee.

"The price for each dish is pegged at around Rs 499. We will also organise a live counter to serve chaat and other street food throughout the day."

In the spirit of the Utsav, the hotel also plans to play Sikh devotional songs. Around 69 rooms have been booked for the period between January 3 and 6, and to make guests feel at home, the hotel plans to put up special decorations in the lobby.

Sanjeev Kapoor's Yellow Chili restaurant has set up a stall to distribute free food to devotees at Gandhi Maidan. The restaurant also boasts of a Punjabi menu, some being Sanjeev Kapoor's creations.

Franchisee owner Roopa Sinha said: " Purani Singh da Tariwala murgh, Cream chicken Ludhianvi, Lawrence road tandoori murgh and khurcha saag murgh are some of the dishes that have been incorporated into our menu for Prakash Utsav." The dishes are affordably priced between Rs 195 and Rs 375, she said.

At Hotel Maurya near Gandhi Maidan, two floors comprising a total of 73 rooms, including four suites, have been booked for the Utsav. The hotel will also have special cartes du jour starting from January 1.

"We plan to serve Punjabi specialties like sarson ka saag, makke di roti, chole, and Amritsari kulche, handi chicken, malai murgh, and an assortment of kebabs. We also have international clients from countries such as the US, UK, Canada, and Australia, and we plan to introduce them to Bihari specialties such as litti chokha," said restaurant manager Nagesh Roy. Individual platters have been priced approximately between Rs 500 and Rs 700.

Hotel Chanakya has planned a pure vegetarian menu for the 40 bookings made at their hotel. "We thought it would be more appropriate to serve devotees a vegetarian platter, keeping in mind that their visit is for religious purpose, said general manager T. K. Sinha.

"The hotel has a special package which includes a breakfast that will serve chole-kulche, puri-sabzi, makai ki roti and sarson ka saag.We will also serve Bihari delicacies such as litti chokha."