OdishaLIVE Bureau
Lord Alarnath is worshipped by devotees after Deva Snana Purnima till Nava Yuva Besha of Lord Jagannath & his siblings just before Gundicha or Rath Yatra.
After the Devasnana Purnima, the deities are believed to fall ill. A total of 108 herbal and aromatic water pots are used for the bath of the deities. After this royal bath ceremony, the three Deities stay away from the public view for a period of 15 days in Jyeshtha Purnima. This period is known as ‘Anasara’ period which commences from Jyestha Purnima. During this period, devotees cannot take a glimpse of the deities instead of having darshan in Jagannath Temple.
Alarnath becomes crowded during the Krishnapaksha of Ashadha after the Snana Yatra. People believe that Alarnath manifests as Lord Jagannath, at the Alarnath temple in Brahmagiri, which is about 18km from Puri and is dedicated to Lord Vishnu.
During the anasara period when deities are ill, Kheer bhog (milk rice) is presented to the deities as well as the devotees in the Alarnath temple complex. It is believed that after having Kheer as prasad, unwell people become healthy. And hence it works as a medicine to the unhealthy people.
Getting Here: Alarnath is well connected with Bhubaneswar, capital of Odisha with road. Alarnath situated in Bramhagiri, Puri district is around 90 KMs from Bhubaneswar.
Nearest Major Railway Station: Puri JN- 25 KMs well connected by rail with all major cities of India.
Nearest Major Airport: Biju Patnaik International Airport (BBI) well connected with all major cities of India and internationally with 1 stop & direct connections with Malaysia & Thailand.
Watch all the videos in the series ‘Shree Jagannath Katha’ here:
