Puri: Thousands of devotees thronged Odisha’s pilgrim town of Puri on Monday to witness Nabajoubana Darshan of the sibling deities at Shree Jatannath temple.
The 12th century shrine witnessed a huge rush of devotees as Lord Balabhadra, Lord Jagannath and Devi Subhadra reappeared to give darshan in youthful form after remaining in quarantine for a fortnight in Anasara Ghara.
Nabajoubana Besha is held to celebrate the rejuvenation of Lord Jagannath’s body. Daitas wash the body of the Lord and repaint it except for the eyes.
In this ceremony, the eyes of the idols are painted by their respective priests and puja restarts at the Puri shrine.
Notably, after taking bath during Snana Yatra, Lord Jagannath and his siblings fall ill. They are then put up at Anasara Pindi to recuperate. The sibling deities are said to become completely cured once the Anasara rituals come to an end. Lakhs of devotees throng the seaside pilgrim town to have a glimpse of their rejuvenated Gods and seek their blessings.
As per the timetable fixed by the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA), Paramanik Darshan of the deities was held between 8 am and 9 am. As many as 7000 tickets were sold for the Paramanik Darshan while the price of each ticket has been fixed at Rs 100, sources said.
Thereafter, the Sahanamela Darshan for general devotees started at 9 am and will continue till 11 am. For Sahanamela Darshan, devotees are entering the temple through Singhadwara, the Lion’s Gate, and coming out through the North Gate.
There will be no darshan of the Holy Trinity after 11 am. Devotees can move around in the inner compound and can have darshan of other deities on the shrine premises.
Earlier, Banakalagi ritual of the deities was performed. Following this, the servitors were engaged in making preparation for the Nabajouban Besha. Since the ritual of ‘Ubha Yatra’ will not be performed this year, the Nabajouban darshan has been restricted to 3 hours, said sources.
The ritual of Chala Apasara was performed at 6 am on Monday, followed by Anasara Tati and Patadian Bisarjan by 7.30 am.
The temple management and district administration have elaborate arrangements for smooth darshan of the deities by the devotees who have turn up in large numbers in the town.
Meanwhile, final touches are being given to the preparations for the world-famous Rath Yatra on Tuesday. The three giant chariots will be pulled from the rath yard to the front of the Temple. The chariots will be pulled only after receiving angyan malas (divine garlands of consent) from the three ‘badas’.
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