Snana Purnima celebrated in Puri

Rajkumar MohantyPuri, June 2: Snana Purnima, a major ritual related to the annual Rath Yatra that marks the bathing of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Goddess Subhadra on the bright full moon day was observed in this holy city of Odisha in traditional style and grandeur today.At 7 am in the morning, the Daita servitors escorted the deities and Sudarshan and Madanmohan from the Ratnasimhasan of the sanctum sanctorum to the Snana Vedi in Goti Pahandi.The deities were taken in the Goti Pahandi procession one after another with Balabhadra first and Lord Jagannath in the end amidst concert of drums, cymbals, bugles, ghantas and chanting of Hari Bol and Jai Jagannath, besides danseuses performing Odissi.By 10.30 am the Pahandi was completed with a delay by about three hours.The Trinity were placed on the Snana Vedi (bathing altar) a huge raised platform overlooking the Grand Road facing the East and located at the outer complex of the temple.Priests used 108 pitchers of water drawn from the Suna Kua (golden well) blended with aromatic herbs, Sandal wood paste, Keshar and Karpur for bathing of the holy triads.After bathing ceremony was over, the deities were dressed in new attire.The Shankaracharya of Gobardhan Peeth Swami Nischalananda along with his six disciples came and offered prayers to the deities on the Snana Vedi.Thereafter, Gajapati King Dibyasingha Deb, the foremost servitor of Lord Jagannath came in a procession from his palace in a decorated palanquin to the temple and performed the Chherapahanra (sweeping the floor of Snana Vedi).A special set of servitors decked deities with elephant attire popularly called Hati Vesha presenting them to the devotees as the incarnation of Lord Ganesha.The Vesha was completed by late in the afternoon.The deities were offered bhog before public darshan of the deities called Sahana Mela was allowed. Over six lakh devotees thronged this pilgrim city to witness the ritual which is the last public appearance of the present idols of the deities.Late in the night deities would be taken into a solitary place in the temple called Anasar Ghar (room for the sick) where the deities would recline to bed for 45 days supposedly suffering from fever.During the sickness period the temple Vaidya (temple physician) would treat them with herbal medicines and put them on fruit diet served by the Daita servitors.Public darshan of the deities closed from today till July 15, the Nabajouban Darshan day prior to the annual Rath Yatra scheduled to be held on July 18.During the first 15 days of the Anasar, Biswakarmas (temple carpenters) under the guidance of senior Daitas would carve images of four deities on the four Neem tree trunks (Darus) in utmost secrecy and tight security in the Koili Baikuntha facility.On the Chaturdashi (June 15) midnight the Brahma from the present idols would be transferred to the body of the new idols by senior Daitas while the old ones would be buried in the Koili Baikuntha.During these elongated forty five days Anasar of the deities prohibiting darshan of the deities the devotees rush to Alarnath temple at Brahmagiri 23 km away from Puri.As many as 68 platoons of armed police and 400 police officers of various ranks were deployed on duty besides scores of intelligence sleuths to ensure safe and smooth conduct of the Snana Purnima ritual.Special arrangements were made to regulate the vehicular traffic along the various roads leading to the city besides parking.Close circuit TV cameras were installed at various places along the Grand Road to monitor the crowd movement.