Puri: Braving the heavy downpour, lakhs of devotees thronged the grand road of this pilgrim city on Saturday to witness the grand royal bathing ceremony and “Hati Vesh “, of lord Jagannath, his elder Balavadra and their sister Devi Subhadra of Sri Jagannath temple.
The royal bathing ceremony popularly called Snan Purnima, is considered a major ritual prelude to the famous Car Festival or Rath Yatra of the lords.
As per the schedule, the holy triad was escorted out of the "Ratnasinhasan" from the sanctum sanctorum of the main temple to the Snana Vedi.
The process which began at 5.20 AM was completed by 7.45 AM on Saturday by the Daita servitors in a "Pahandi" procession amidst chants of Jai Jagannath.
The air was filled with the music of drums, cymbals, bugles, and ghanta as the Daita servitors (a special set of servitors known as body protectors of the deities) escorted the deities in a ceremonial "Pahandi" procession to the bathing altar located in the outer temple complex.
The "Pahandi" was completed at the bathing altar, situated on a huge raised platform overlooking the grand road facing the east.
After a complex set of minor rituals, the temple priests conducted the bathing ceremony of the deities which began at 1.10 PM and continued for about one hour. using 108 pitchers of aromatic and herbal water drawn from the golden well of the temple.
Thereafter the deities were dressed in new clothes. Gajapati Dibyasingh Dev performed chherapahanra ( sweeping around the deities on the chariots with a gold broom) and offered arati and his prayers. This ceremony began at 2.35 PM and was over by 3.10 PM .
At about 3 20 PM three sets of servitors began dressing the faces of the deities with colourful elephant masks (Ganesh masks) popularly called Haati Vesha was completed by 4.30 PM.
While devotees witnessed all rituals Badadanda Sahan mela (public darshan) was allowed from 7.30 PM on wards till late night.
According to Madalapanzi (temple chronicle) Ganapati Bhutta, a Maharastrian spiritual leader and an ardent devotee of lord Ganesha ,once came to Puri and was frustrated not finding any signs of lord Ganesha in Jagannath.
While he was preparing to return lords took up Hati Vesha and Ganapati Bhatt remained in a trance after witnessing the Hati Vesha of lord Jagannath feeling lord Jagannath is also Ganesh.
Today instead of regular three bhogs the deities were offered one single bhog comprising 39 items.
Late in the night, the deities would be taken into a solitary place in the temple called the "Anasar House" (room for the sick) in a similar "Pahandi Bije," where Lord Jagannath, along with his elder brother Balabhadra and sister Subhadra, would recline to bed for thirteen days, suffering from fever following the holy bath.
The deities during the treatment offered fruits. On the outer wall of the sick room images of the deities were fixed called “Patti dian” to whom the bhog was offered.
This year as per the temple almanac the anasar duration has been reduced to thirteen days against the regular fifteen days.
During these days the temple Vaidya (doctor) would treat them with herbal medicine, while the deities would be served fruit as a diet by the Daita servitors. Public darshan of the deities during these thirteen days would be prohibited.
As per legends lord Jagannath during these Anasar period manifests in Alarnath deb.
Devotees rush to Alarnath temple 23 km away from Puri to have the darshan of the deity and to take Kheer Prasad. The deities would give public darshan after fourteen days called Nabajouban darshan a day before the annual Rath Yatra.
About 68 platoons of police and other security personnel were deployed for the ritual while District Magistrate Sidharth Shankar Swain, Superintendent of Police Pinak Mishra, and Temple Chief Administrator Vir Vikram Yadav were looking after the festival arrangements.
The devotees had to pass through metal detectors installed at the main gate of the temple , manned by armed police contingents to enter the temple to witness the Hati Vesh of the presiding deities in the Snan Mandap and exit from the other three gates of the temple.
