Puri: Thousands of devotees got ‘Pahili Bhoga’ (first offering) of the sibling deities at Jagannth Temple here, on the occasion of Dhanu Sankranti, on Sunday.
For the special rituals, the main door of the temple opened at 3 am. It will be closed at 11 pm.
These rituals will continue till January 13, informed Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) Chief Administrator, Pradipta Mohapatra at a meeting of the Chhatisa Nijog held on Saturday.
According to the decision, the door was opened at 3 am, ‘Mangala Arati’ and ‘Rosha Homa’ rituals were performed at 3.45 am. Likewise, ‘Mailama’ and ‘Tadapa Lagi’ rituals were performed at 4 am and ‘Abakasha’ at 5 am.
‘Pahili Bhoga’ was offered to the Lord from 6.20 am to 6.50 am.
It was also decided in the meeting that the temple will be opened (Dwara Phita) for the public at 2 am on the New Year on January 1. The ‘Pahada’ will be held at 9.30 pm on December 31.
The meeting also discussed accepting donation from devotees and repair work of Nata Mandap.
Notably, Gopal Ballav Bhog is offered along with Pahali Bhog. The Pahili Bhog is the traditional morning offering to the Lords which continues from the Dhanu Sankranti to Makara Sankranti as per the Odia calendar.
