Puri: Lakhs of devotees, including Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and other dignitaries, gathered in Puri on Wednesday to witness the ceremonial bathing rituals of Lord Balabhadra, goddess Subhadra and Lord Jagannath, held in an open pandal on the premises of the 12th-century temple.
The deities were brought to the 'Snana Mandap' (bathing altar) with the ceremonial 'pahandi' (procession), officials of the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) said. The deities are bathed on the 'Snana Mandap' (bathing altar), the elevated pedestal facing the Grand Road, where devotees get the opportunity to witness the bathing rituals, they said.
"Shree Sudarshan was first brought out of the shrine and taken to the bathing altar at 5.45 am. After that, idols of Lord Balabhadra, Devi Subhadra and Lord Jagannath were taken to the bathing altar. The 'Pahandi ritual' was completed by 8.55 am," he said.
Amid the chanting of Vedic hymns, altogether 108 pitchers of 'sacred water' from the 'Sunakua' (golden well), located on the temple premises, were poured on the idols, another official said.
Soon after, Puri's titular king, Gajapati Maharaj Dibyasingha Deb, performed ceremonial sweeping of the 'Snana Mandap' in the afternoon. Afterwards, the deities will be adorned with "Gaja Vesha" (attire of the elephant God).
Accompanied by Puri MP Sambit Patra, CM Majhi entered the temple through the 'Uttara Dwara' (northern gate) and witnessed the morning prayers and the ceremonial procession of the deities, another official said.
"Today, on the occasion of the holy Devsnan Purnima, I had darshan of Chaturdhamurti from the Sannunvedi and sought blessings for the welfare of the state and its people and for building a developed Odisha. May everyone's life be happy and prosperous by the grace of the Lord. #SnanaPurnima2025," Majhi posted on X.
ଆଜି ପବିତ୍ର ଦେବସ୍ନାନ ପୂର୍ଣ୍ଣିମା ଅବସରରେ ସ୍ନାନବେଦୀରୁ ଚତୁର୍ଦ୍ଧାମୂର୍ତ୍ତିଙ୍କ ଦର୍ଶନ କରି ରାଜ୍ୟ ତଥା ରାଜ୍ୟବାସୀଙ୍କ ମଙ୍ଗଳ ସହ ବିକଶିତ ଓଡ଼ିଶା ନିର୍ମାଣ ପାଇଁ ଆଶୀର୍ବାଦ ଭିକ୍ଷା କଲି । ମହାପ୍ରଭୁଙ୍କ କୃପାରୁ ସମସ୍ତଙ୍କ ଜୀବନ ସୁଖୀ ଓ ମଙ୍ଗଳମୟ ହେଉ । #SnanaPurnima2025 pic.twitter.com/T0ZvOaq9zT
— Mohan Charan Majhi (@MohanMOdisha) June 11, 2025
'Sahan Mela' or public darshan will be allowed from 7.30 pm, as per the temple calendar. The deities will be taken to the 12th-century shrine and kept in 'Anasara Ghar' (isolation room) for 14 days as they fall ill after the bath.
The temple 'Baidya' (physician) would treat them with herbal medicines, and public 'darshan' of the deities will remain closed till 'Nabajouban darshan' on June 26, a day before the annual Rath Yatra on June 27.
On the occasion, security has been beefed up in Puri with the deployment of 70 platoons of force and 450 officers, Puri SP Vinit Agarwal said.
"We expect a congregation of lakhs of devotees and have made elaborate arrangements to control the crowd, traffic regulation and ground control. The forces are deployed inside and outside the temple and at the seaside. Barricades have been erected to manage the smooth movement of devotees during the ceremonial bathing," he added.
(With inputs from PTI)
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