Puri: A sea of devotees throng to pilgrim town Puri to witness the holy and spectacle Deva Snana Purnima rituals of Lord Jagannath, his siblings and Lord Sudarsan.
All the three deities of Lord Balabhadra, Lord Jagannath, Devi Subhadra along with Lord Sudarsan have been ushered to the Snana Mandap inside the temple premises in ritualistic Goti Pahandi procession.
Starting from Mangalarpana, then Managala Alati, Tadapalagi Niti, Adharapocha, Abakasha, Surya Puja and Dwarapala Puja have been conducted.
Then, the most important Jala Lagi Niti has been conducted at the Mandap. Garabadu servitors placed 108 pitchers of aromatic water for use in the bath. 35 pots of water were used for bathing of Lord Jagannath, 33 for Lord Balabhadra, 22 for Devi Subhadra and 18 for Lord Sudarshan.
Following the bathing ritual, Chhera Panhara ritual has been conducted at Sanan Mandap. Puri King Gajapati Dibya Singh Deo performed the famous ritual of Chhera Panhara in the Mandapa.
After the bath, again Mailum and Sarbang rituals were performed and the Trinity were dressed in new clothes called as Gajanan Besha as per a belief that every Hindu religious rite begins with the worship of Lord Ganesh.
Now, the sevayats are holding rituals for Hati Besha. Later, the deities will be kept away from public view for fifteen days in a special room called the Ratan Vedi. This period, known as ‘Anabasara Kala’, involves no public worship. On the sixteenth day, the deities reappear for public viewing in an event called Netrotsava or Naba Joubana Darshan.
The police has made tight security arrangements for the snana purnima. While at least 68 platoons of police force have been deployed to manage the crowd, four SP rank officers, 12 ASP rank officers and 22 DSP rank officers posted to oversee the security arrangements and devotees’ movement.
Police have also issued a helpline number 6370-967-100 for devotees requiring any assistance. Similarly, the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) has released an SOP for the servitors for conduct of all the rituals.