OdishaLive Bureau
With the auspicious bathing festival of Sri Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra taking place on Friday, this year’s annual Car Festival has formally commenced. Deva Snana Purnima is the forerunner of Rath Yatra. This year the nine-day Car Festival falls on 25th June.
With delays and, consequently, the rituals going off-track, the temple administration is sparing no effort to complete the annual carnival hassle-free. The past few years have been witnessing inordinate hold-up of the ceremony inside the temple. With 2015 Navakalebara fiasco still fresh in mind, the Sri Jagannath Temple Administration(SJTA) and the Odisha government are fretful of any kind of impediment.
Luckily, the servitors have assured the administration of timely completion of all rituals during this year’s Rath Yatra. Puri superintendent of police Sarthak Sarangi has got a firm assurance to this effect from the servitors. The preparatory meeting held in the Collector’s conference hall discussed several other issues in connection with the festival.
One big challenge is to complete the ‘Pahandi Bije’ of the trinity on the day of Car Festival, so that the pulling of chariot begins dot at 3.30 pm. This is the time-tested moment for the chariots to roll on. Although the Rath Yatra per se is significant for everyone – from the servitors to the administrators to the devotees, no less important is the two other occasions which attract crowds in large numbers – the Devasnan Purnima, the Nav Yauvan Darshan and the Bahuda Jatra or return of the chariots.
According to the decision arrived at the meeting, devotees would be allowed to get a darshan of the deities on Snana Purnima on Friday. The Sahanamela darshan or quick look of the deities would start at 7pm and conclude at 9pm. Devotees would have to be in queue to have a glimpse of the deities on the bathing pulpit. Steps would be taken for smooth darshan of the deities.
It has also been decided to host the Navayauvan Darshan ritual in a more cohesive manner. Devotees can have glimpse of the deities from the outer barricade of the sanctum sanctorum of the temple. Unlike in previous years, a selective audience would be allowed to witness the Nava Yauvan Darshan.
What is Devasnana Purnima?
This is an inseparable part of Rath Yatra. The day is believed to be the birthday of the Lord Jagannatha. On the full-moon day of the month of Jyestha, the deities are given bath with 108 pitchers of water taken from the well situated in the confines of the main temple. Having been bathed, the deities are dressed up in the Ganesha Vesha. Then, offering of Prasad is made on the pulpit in a full public view. There after the deities take a break.
It is believed that the trinity get fever at taking bath like any human being. So during the next few days the Daitapatis sevaks offer traditional treatment and care inside the temple where the deities are kept away from public darshan.
Devasnana Purnima or Snana Yatra is believed to be one of the oldest festivals in the Shri Jagannath temple. According to the legend, Raja Indradyumna had set in motion this bathing ceremony when he installed the wooden deities in the temple. Because of its importance and the adornment, thousands of devotees from across states and countries come to Puri to be a part of this grand celebration.
