Lakhs of devotees throng Puri to witness grand royal bathing of Trinity at Sri Jagannath Temple

United News of India

11-06-2025

Puri, June 11 (UNI) Lakhs of devotees thronged the grand road of this pilgrim city on Wednesday to witness the magnificent royal bathing ceremony and the 'Hati Vesha' of Lord Jagannath, his elder brother Balabhadra, and their sister Devi Subhadra of the Sri Jagannath Temple.
The royal bathing ceremony, popularly known as Snan Purnima, is considered a major ritual preceding the famous Car Festival or Rath Yatra of the deities.
As per tradition, the holy triad was ceremoniously escorted from the Ratnasinhasan in the sanctum sanctorum of the main temple to the Snana Vedi in the early hours of Wednesday by the Daita servitors in a grand 'Pahandi' procession, accompanied by chants of 'Jai Jagannath.'
The air resonated with the music of drums, cymbals, bugles, and ghanta as the Daita servitors — a special group known as the protectors of the deities — carried the deities to the bathing altar located in the outer temple complex.
The bathing altar is a large raised platform overlooking the grand road and facing east.
The priests consecrated the holy water drawn from the sacred golden well inside the temple complex.
A total of 108 pitchers of water, blended with aromatic herbs and sandalwood, were used for the bathing ritual. The water was manually drawn by the servitors from the golden well of the temple. Of this, 35 pitchers were used for bathing Lord Jagannath, 33 for Balabhadra, 22 for Subhadra, and 18 for Sudarshan.
After the bathing ceremony, the deities were dressed, and Gajapati King Dibyasingh Deb, the foremost servitor of the Lord, arrived in a ceremonial procession from the palace to perform the Chhera Pahanra (sweeping around the deities atop the Snana Vedi).
A special set of servitors adorned the deities in the 'Hati Vesha' or elephant attire, symbolising their incarnation as Lord Ganesha.
The deities were offered bhog before the public darshan of the deities during the 'Sahanamela', which will continue from 7:30 pm to 10:30 pm.
Late in the night, the deities will be taken to a secluded chamber in the temple called the 'Anasar House' (room for the sick) in a similar 'Pahandi Bije' procession. Here, Lord Jagannath, along with Balabhadra and Subhadra, will recline for fifteen days, believed to suffer from fever following the holy bath.
During this fortnight, the temple's Vaidya (doctor) will treat the deities with herbal medicines, and they will be served fruits as their diet by the Daita servitors.
Public darshan of the deities will be prohibited during these fifteen days. However, devotees visit the Alarnath Temple, about 23 km from Puri, where it is believed that Lord Jagannath manifested during this period.
As part of the security arrangements, 450 officers and 70 platoons of police forces have been deployed, said Central Range IG S Praveen Kumar.
Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, along with senior officials, visited the Puri Srimandir and participated in the Mangala Alati, the 'Pahandi Bije,' and had a darshan of the presiding deities.
Majhi expressed his satisfaction with the rituals and the security arrangements made for the smooth conduct of the Snana Yatra.
The Chief Minister said the Rath Yatra, scheduled to be held on June 27, would be conducted smoothly with the blessings of Lord Jagannath.
UNI DP ARN