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On the auspicious occasion of ‘Snan Purnima,’ over one lakh devotees, including a few from foreign countries, flocked to Puri on Tuesday to have ‘darshan’ of Lord Jagannath and his siblings.
Despite the heat and humidity, devotees gathered in front of the Jagannath Temple’s Lions Gate to catch a glimpse of Jagannath, Balabhadra, and Subhadra.
After the public was allowed to witness the Snan Yatra for the first time in two years, a large number of devotees visited Puri on Tuesday. Puri Collector stated that all preparations had been made to ensure a smooth ‘darshan.’
Early in the morning, the servitors escorted the deities in the ceremonial ‘Pahandi’ from Garbhagruha to the ‘Snan Mandap’ (bathing altar). The bathing altar is located within the temple complex, near Ananda Bazar which can be viewed by the people from outside the temple.
After performing other Lords’ rituals on the Snan Mandap, the holy ‘Jalabhiseka’ (bathing ceremony) began around 12.30 p.m. 108 pitchers of aromatic water were used to bathe the deities.
Gajapati Dibya Singh Deb, Lord Jagannath’s first servitor, paid his respects to the deities at the Snan Mandap. He performed ‘Chhera Pahanra’ (floor sweeping) at the pandal, one of the major rituals preceding the ‘Hati Besha,’ while priests chanted mantras.
In the afternoon, the servitors decorated the deities in ‘Hati Besha.’ Devotees formed a long queue outside the temple to see the Lords in the ‘Hati Besha.’
