Latest news with #PahandiBije
Time of India
2 days ago
- General
- Time of India
Debasnana Purnima draws thousands to Jagannath Temple
Bhubaneswar: Lakhs of devotees, drenched in devotion, gathered at Puri's Jagannath temple on Wednesday to witness the sacred bathing ceremony of the deities during Debasnan Purnima, or Snan Yatra—a major prelude to the Rath Yatra and revered as Lord Jagannath's birthday. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The spectacle unfolded on the Snan Bedi, an open-air stone platform visible from the bustling Grand Road outside the shrine. Here, the idols of Lord Jagannath, his elder brother Balabhadra, and sister Subhadra were bathed in 108 vesselso f 'sacred water' drawn from the 'Sunakua' (golden well) nestled within the temple grounds. Temple servitors performed the elaborate bathing ritual as chants echoed and the sea of pilgrims watched in hushed reverence. What makes this ritual uniquely accessible is that it allows lakhs to catch a glimpse of the deities without entering the temple premises. Among the sea of worshippers stood chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi, who had arrived in Puri early in the morning. "I participated in the Mangala Alati, Pahandi Bije for the first time on Debasnan Purnima and was blessed to have a darshan of the holy trinity. I prayed for the well-being of the people of the state and country. Lakhs of devotees came for darshan. All arrangements were made properly. We hope that the upcoming Rath Yatra will be conducted smoothly with the blessings of Lord Jagannath," Majhi said. The festivities began in the early morning hours with the grand procession known as Pahandi, in which the deities were ceremonially escorted from the sanctum sanctorum to the Snan Bedi, accompanied by music, chants, and an electrified crowd. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Following the sacred bath, the deities were adorned in the Hati Besa (elephant attire). However, the grandeur soon gave way to a quieter phase of the ritual cycle. According to tradition, the deities are believed to fall ill after the elaborate bathing, leading to a fortnight of seclusion known as 'Anabasara'. During this time, the idols remain hidden from public view, receiving care in the form of 'Phuluri Tela', a special herbal preparation believed to aid their recovery. Devotees instead offer prayers to 'Pati Dians', the painted representations of the divine trio, until the deities emerge rejuvenated for Nabajouban Darshan on June 26, the eve of the much-awaited Rath Yatra.
Hans India
2 days ago
- Hans India
Lakhs of devotees throng Lord Jagannath temple in Puri to witness 'Snana Yatra'
Bhubaneswar: Lakhs of devotees thronged to the sacred city of Puri in Odisha to witness the divine spectacle of 'Snana Purnima' or the 'Deva Snana Purnima', the ritual bathing of holy triad -- Lord Jagannath, his elder brother Balabhadra and sister Subhadra -- at the famous Jagannath temple on Wednesday. This marks the beginning of the famous Rath Yatra, which is scheduled to begin from June 27 this year. On Wednesday, the servitors brought the deities from their sanctum sanctorum to the bathing platform 'Snana Vedi' in a grand procession called 'Pahandi Bije' ritual with the blowing of traditional musical instruments such as gongs, conch shells, etc. The holy siblings got bathed by the servitors with 108 pitchers of holy, fragrant water drawn from a mysterious well known as the 'Sunakua' or the 'Golden Well' inside the temple. After the ceremonial bath, the deities are decked up with specially made elephant masks popularly known as 'Gajanana Besha' or 'Hathi Besha'. Later, the deities return to the temple and are placed at 'Anasaragruha' (isolation room). It is said that the holy siblings suffer fever due to the bathing and remain out of bound for all, except Daita and Paita servitors. The idols of the three deities then make an appearance after 14 days of 'anasara' or quarantine in a new appearance known as "Naba Jaubana Darshana". On the auspicious occasion of Snana Purnima, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi visited Puri and offered prayers to Lord Jagannath on the 'Snana Bedi' (bathing altar). After witnessing the divine ritual, he proceeded to the Srimandir (Jagannath Temple) and later inspected the ongoing construction work of the chariots for the upcoming Rath Yatra. "I prayed to the Lord Jagannath for the happiness, peace and well being of people across the globe as well as Odisha. I also prayed for the smooth and hassle-free conduct of the upcoming Ratha Yatra festival," said CM Majhi. He also expressed satisfaction over the preparations by the district administration and servitors for the Snana Purnima rituals at Puri. The Puri Police has made elaborate arrangements for crowd control and to avoid any untoward incident during the Snana Yatra festival. As many as 70 platoons of police force and 450 officers have been deployed for security arrangements during the Snana Yatra.
United News of India
3 days ago
- General
- United News of India
Lakhs of devotees throng Puri to witness grand royal bathing of Trinity at Sri Jagannath Temple
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
