Lord Jagannath & Siblings To Appear In Youthful Vigour

Bhubaneswar: After recuperating at Anasara Ghara for a fortnight, Lord Jagannath and his siblings have regained their youthful appearance and are all set to appear in Naba Jaubana Besha on Friday.

This ‘Besha’ is held to celebrate the new energy with which the Lords would step out of at the 12th-century shrine and embark on the annual sojourn.

During the Anasara period, the Daitas wash the idols of the Lords and repaint them except for the eyes. The eyes of the idols are painted by their respective priests on this occasion and puja resumes at the temple.

The sibling deities are gorgeously dressed and decorated. They put on very charming robes and look like persons at the commencement of their youth

After the rituals, the Lords are taken to their respective chariots, heralding the beginning of Rath Yatra.

Devotees, however, will be deprived of having a darshan of the sibling deities in this rare appearance like last year due to the COVID pandemic.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has stressed timely completion of the rituals and smooth conduct of the yatra of the Lords with strict adherence to COVID-19 guidelines.

The CM directed the I&PR Department to ensure a hassle-free live telecast of Rath Yatra to allow devotees to witness the festival on TV at home.

A curfew will be imposed in the town from 8 pm on July 11 to 8 pm on July 13 for Rath Yatra.