Puri: ‘Lakshmi Narayan Bheta’ was held on Bada Danda after the arrival of Lord Jagannath on His Nandighos chariot in front of the palace of Gajapati Maharaja Dibyasingha Deb in Odisha’s pilgrim town of Puri on Monday.
According to folktales, goddess Lakshmi being left behind is restlessly longing for Lord Jagannath. She had asked Her secret messengers to inform Her as soon as they come to know about His return. As Nandighosh nears the palace of Gajapati Maharaja, the messengers inform Her. She then comes to Chahanimandapa (viewing pavilion) on the roof of Rosheighara from where She steals a glimpse of Nandighosh. Finding the chariot in front of the palace, She then rushes to receive and welcome Jagannath. This ritual is also called Chahani Melana (union of eyes). They greet each other but feigning anger, She returns to Her temple.
Earlier in the day, lakhs of devotees thronged the pilgrim town to witness ‘Bahuda Yatra’ of the Lords of Shree Jagannath temple, marking the grand culmination of the annual sojourn.
The deities left the Shree Jagannath Temple on July 7 during the Rath Yatra and reached Gundicha temple, considered their birthplace, the following day. They stayed there for a week and returned to the Jagannath temple. This return journey is known as the ‘Bahuda Yatra’.
The sibling deities along with ‘Chakraraj Sudarshan’ were escorted to their respective chariots from Shree Gundicha Temple in a ceremonial ‘Dhadi Pahandi’ (line procession) around 10.45 am, more than one hour ahead of the schedule. The Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) had earlier fixed the timing of Pahandi between 12 noon to 2.30 pm.
Chhera Pahanra’ (sweeping of the chariots) ritual was then performed by Puri’s titular king Gajapati Maharaja Divyasingha Deb on all three chariots with a golden broom and sprinkled flowers and fragrant water.
Following which, pulling of chariots began amid chants of ‘Jai Jagannath’ and the beating of cymbals.
All three chariots -Taladhwaja of Lord Balabhadra, Darpadalan of Devi Subhadra and Nandighos of Lord Jagannath – arrived at Singhadwar of the 12th-century temple around 9.30 pm.
A multi-layer security net was thrown in the town with heavy deployment of forces to ensure smooth celebrations and prevent any untoward incident. A total of 180 platoons (1 platoon comprises 30 personnel) of police force and 1,000 officers were deployed to maintain law and order and crowd management during the ‘Bahuda Yatra’.
Suna Besha will take place on July 17 when the deities will be adorned with gold ornaments and displayed in full regal splendour. Adhara Pana, which involves the offering of a special sweet drink to the deities, will be held on July 18. The deities will re-enter the sanctum sanctorum of the Jagannath Temple, bringing the festival to a ceremonial close in Niladri Bije on July 19.
