Pandemic Denies Devotees Of ‘Anasara Darshan’ At Alarnath Temple Near Puri

Puri: With the district administration having imposed Section 144 around the temple amid second wave of COVID-19 pandemic, devotees are missing ‘Anasara Darshan’ at Alarnath temple for the second successive year.

The sibling deities were taken to Anasara Ghar (asylum for the sick), having supposedly fallen ill after an elaborate bath with 108 pitchers of herbal and aromatic water.

The ailing deities are offered only fruits and water, mixed with cheese and ‘Dasamula’ (herbal) medicines, while Daitapati sevayats perform secret rituals to cure them.

Devotees believe that Lord Jagannath manifests as Alarnath Dev during this time at Alarnath temple in Brahmagiri, which is 23 km from Puri.

“I am a Suara sevayat in Alarnath temple. About 60 families with over 300 members are engaged in temple work here. We depend on this temple for our livelihood,” informed Alarnath temple sevayat Sukanta Suara.

“Lakhs of devotees used to visit Alarnath temple during this period. We are missing them again this year,” said Sukanta.

“During Anasara period, the great devotee Sri Chaitanya Dev had visited the temple, and had darshan of Lord Jagannath as Alarnath,” he added.