Puri June 24 :The famous annual bathing ritual (Snana Purnima) of Lord Jagannath and His siblings Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra will be held on Thursday in Odisha’s Puri. However, in the wake of restrictions in place due to coronavirus pandemic, devotees will not be allowed to participate.
The Jagannath temple in Odisha’s Puri was illuminated on Wednesday evening ahead of the Snana Purnima. The gates of the 11th century temple will open on Friday after several weeks of closure due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Only fully vaccinated people with Covid-19 negative report will be allowed in the temple.
Chief administrator of the temple Dr Krishan Kumar informed that the festival will be live-streamed for devotees across the world.
“There will be no gathering outside the temple has Section 144 will be enforced by district administration. We will just follow traditional rituals. After this, Lord Jagannath will take rest for 15 days and reappear during Rath Yatra,”.
Public movement is prohibited since 10pm on Wednesday and several police vehicles are patrolling the area.
According to the schedule by the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA), the Snan Purinima on Thursday will start with the Pahandi (walking procession of the deities) at 1am and end by 4am.
The Chhera Pahanra (sweeping of the bathing place) ritual by Dibyasingh Deb, the titular king of Puri, is scheduled to be held at 10:30am. The deities will later be adorned with Gajanan Besha or Hati Besha (elephant attire) between 11:00am and 12 noon.
Lord Balabhadra, Devi Subhadra, and Lord Jagannath will then be taken to the Anasara Ghar (sick room) as it is believed that they fall ill after taking the bath.
The return procession of the deities from the bathing pandal to the sick room inside the temple will take place between 5pm-8pm. The Anasara (sick) rituals will begin from that day and continue for the next 15 days.