Snana Yatra 2026: Lakhs Gather In Puri To Witness Holy Bathing Rituals Of Lord Jagannath And His Siblings

Puri: On the auspicious occasion of Deba Snana Purnima, lakhs of devotees have congregated in the pilgrim town of Puri to witness the grand Snana Yatra of Holy Trinity - Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra, considered one of the most significant rituals preceding the world-famous Rath Yatra (chariot festival).

The sacred festival, observed on the full moon day of the Hindu month of Jyestha, marks the first occasion in the year when devotees catch a glimpse of the sibling deities outside the sanctum sanctorum before the Rath Yatra.

As part of the rituals, Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra, Devi Subhadra and Sudarshan were taken from the sanctum sanctorum to the Snana Mandap in the traditional 'Pahandi' procession amid the chanting of Vedic hymns, blowing of conches and beating of cymbals.

Once placed on the Snana Bedi - the altar where the ceremonial bathing rituals are performed, the deities are ceremonially bathed with 108 pitchers of sacred water drawn from the temple's 'Sunakua' (golden well). The water is mixed with sandalwood paste, camphor and other aromatic substances as part of centuries-old ritual.

Following the bathing ceremony, Puri Gajapati Maharaja Dibyasingha Deb would perform the traditional 'Chhera Pahanra' ritual on the Snana Mandap. The deities will then be adorned in 'Gajanana Besha' or 'Hati Besha' (elephant attire), during which they appear in the attire of Lord Ganesha.

After completion of the Snana Yatra rituals, the deities will be taken to the Anasara Gruha, where they are believed to fall ill following the ceremonial bath and remain out of public view for a fortnight. They will reappear during the 'Nabajouban Darshan' before embarking on the annual Rath Yatra.

Meanwhile, Puri district administration, police, health and fire services departments have made extensive arrangements as lakhs of devotees from across Odisha and other parts of the country have converged in the pilgrim town.

As per officials, nearly 80 platoons of police personnel have been deployed inside and around the Jagannath Temple, the Grand Road and other sensitive locations to regulate crowd movement and traffic. This apart, Quick Action Teams (QATs), sniffer dog squads, rooftop surveillance, anti-sabotage checks, marine security arrangements and real-time monitoring through the Integrated Command and Control Centre (ICCC) have also been put in place.

Help desks, police assistance centres, medical camps and dedicated facilities have been set up for senior citizens, women, children and Divyang devotees to ensure hassle-free participation and darshan of the Trinity.

Puri SP Prateek Singh said, "Today the sacred Snana Yatra is being observed at the Shri Jagannath Temple. Police deployment has already been completed at all designated locations, and security arrangements have been made in accordance with every stage of the rituals. All our operations are being carried out as planned."

Snana Purnima In Sydney

On Monday, hundreds of devotees gathered at the only Jagannath Temple in Sydney, Australia, on the auspicious Deba Snana Purnima. All the devotees of Mahaprabhu Jagannath celebrated Snana Yatra and the rare Gajanana Besha. The rituals began with traditional Pahandi, followed by sacred Debasnana Purnima.

Ceremonies were performed by temple priests in accordance with age-old traditions of Shree Jagannath Temple in Puri. Organised by Shree Jagannatha Consciousness ANZ, the event witnessed participation of devotees from Sydney and other parts of Australia.

The Pran Pratishtha of the temple was conducted in March by Raja Purohita Surya Narayan Dash Sharma.

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