Puri: Twelve days after they embarked on their annual sojourn, Lord Jagannath and his siblings are all set to return to the sanctum sanctorum of the 12th century shrine in Odisha’s pilgrim town of Puri with the Niladri Bije ritual on Tuesday night.
Niladri Bije ceremony, which marks the end of the Rath Yatra festival, involves the return of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra from the chariots to the Srimandir in Goti Pahandi, which will be held between 4 pm and 10 pm. It is the procession of the sibling deities from the chariots to Ratna Singhasana, the bejeweled throne, in the sanctum sanctorum.
In Goti Pahandi, the deities move one after another, which means the next deity only moves from the chariot only after the former reaches the Ratna Singhasana. While the Pahandi will be held in the evening, the ceremony will also be marked by the traditional offering of Rasagola by Lord Jagannath to Goddess Lakshmi.
Before entering the main temple, a traditional act between the servitors of Lord Jagannath and Devi Lakshmi takes place at the main gate, known as Jaya Vijaya Door, of the temple.
It is believed that Devi Lakshmi , wife of Lord Jagannath, gets angry as she was left in the Srimandir and was not a part of the Rath Yatra to the Gundicha temple. She only allows Lord Balabhadra, Devi Subhadra and Lord Sudarshana into the temple and closes the temple gate for Lord Jagannath. Hence, in order to pacify Devi Lakshmi, Lord Jagannath offers Rasagola, the famous sweet dish made of cottage cheese, and requests her to forgive him. Following this, Lord Jagannath is made to sit beside Devi Lakshmi where a ritual of reunion is rehearsed and finally Lord Jagannath ascends the Ratna Singhasana.
According to the Record of Rights, this is the duty of Bhitarachha Sebaka. The reference of Rasagola is also found in the late 15th-century Odia Ramayana written by Balaram Das. Also known as Dandi Ramayana or Jagamohana Ramayana, it was composed and sung at the Jagamohana of the Puri Temple.
Since 2015, Odisha has been Rasagola Dibasa on Niladri Bije, marking the end of the 12-day Rath Yatra festival, to let people know the history and origin of the sweet dish.
Acclaimed sand artist Sundarsan Pattanik has created a sculpture on Puri sea beach to celebrate the unique ritual.