Lords Of Puri Jagannath Temple To Celebrate ‘Rakhi Purnima’ On August 31; Preparations In Full Swing

Puri: Preparations are going on in full swing for Rakhi Purnima to be celebrated at Shree Jagannath Temple in Odisha’s pilgrim town of Puri on August 31. Patara Bisoi servitors are busy preparing ‘Pata Rakhis’, which Devi Subhadra will tie to Lord Balabhadra and Lord Jagannath.

There was a confusion over the date on which Rakhi Purnima will be celebrated in the 12th century shrine as Raksha Bandhan is being observed elsewhere tomorrow, August 30. However, after due consultation with all associated with the temple rituals, the administration and servitors decided that the festival will be celebrated on August 31 on Gamha Purnima, Lord Balabhadra’s birthday.

Apart from Rakhis made of colourful threads and clothes, the Lords will also be offered ‘Guamala’ (garland of areca nuts) on the holy occasion of Gamha Purnima, which will fall on August 31 this year.

At the same time, the servitors are engaged in making preparations for celebration of Lord Balabhadra’s birthday on Gamha Purnima on the same day.

The preparations, along with that of 54 areca nuts necklaces, had started from Chitalagi Amabasya.

Ten days prior to the festival, the temple administration provides Patara Bisoi servitors with Basunga Pata (cloth). They prepare four Rakhis for Lord Jagannath and Balabhadra and 10 small ones for the Parswa Devatas (minor deities) of the temple. It takes almost 10 days to ready them. “We take the Rakhis and Guamalas to the temple when we get a call from the authorities,” informed temple servitor Santosh Kumar Patra.

The Basunga Pata is dipped in red, green, purple and yellow colours. With the help of a comb, the cloth is shredded into threads. With the four coloured Patas, the servitors then make four-layered Rakhis. They are in concentric circles one atop another with the lowest disc being the largest.

The servitors prepare Guamala in yellow and red colour combination for Lord Jagannath and purple and blue colour combination for Lord Balabhadra.