OdishaLIVE Bureau
Snana Purnima is observed as Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra’s birth day. Like newborns take bath just after birth, the similar ritual is also applied to the Lords, rightly referred to as the people’s God. On the full moon day of the month of Jyestha (according to Odia calender), the deities are bathed with 108 pitchers of water. With the blessings of the Gods and Goddesses, the water from holy rivers across India is believed to be poured on the deities. After bath the deities are dressed up in Gajanana Vesha. It is believed that the Lords become sick after Snana Purnima, so stay alone inside a closed room and the temples remain empty till the Rath Yatra in Puri.
“There is also another side of this ritual. As the deities are made of wood, the repairing and colouring is required every year before the grand Rath Yatra which witness lakhs of gathering across the globe. After the repairing, colouring and proper dressing, the deities with their fresh magnificent look mount newly made chariot on the Rath Yatra day”, said eminent literateur Rajkishore Mishra. The rituals of deities are being observed since 16th Century. Apart from Puri, several other Jagannath temples also observe the similar rituals across Odisha and outside.
