Puri: Thousands of devotees thronged Shree Gundicha Temple in Odisha’s Puri on Sunday for the sacred darshan of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra at Adapa Mandap during the ongoing Rath Yatra festival.
In an atmosphere of devotion, the Adapa Darshan of the sibling deities of Shree Jagannath Temple commenced a day after the Trinity entered Shree Gundicha Temple on Saturday night in a ceremonial procession.
The ceremonial procession was held as part of the Goti Pahandi ritual. Following all the rituals on Saturday, the Adapa Bije Niti began after 7 pm on Saturday.
This ceremony marked the culmination of the first phase of the Rath Yatra, officially transitioning the sibling deities of Shree Jagannath Temple into their ‘Janmabedi’ or birthplace for their annual nine-day sojourn.
At that time, Sharadha Bali echoed with the sound of hulhuli, bells and chants of “Jai Jagannath”. The three deities entered the Adapa Mandapa through Goti Pahandi in a grand procession.
Apart from darshan, the sacred Adapa Abadha will also be available at the Gundicha Temple until the commencement of the Bahuda Yatra.
Long queues of devotees were seen outside the Gundicha Temple for the Adapa Darshan. To ensure smooth movement of devotees, the administration has arranged three separate barricaded queues for darshan.
In view of the heavy rush, traffic restrictions have been imposed across the pilgrim town. Vehicular movement has been regulated from Badasankha Chhak, while entry of vehicles has been prohibited beyond Medical Chhak.
On the other hand, public darshan will remain suspended at Gundicha Temple from 9 pm to 3 am as the Banakalagi ritual is scheduled to be held.
The other significant schedule of the Rath Yatra festival includes Hera Panchami on July 20, Dakshina Moda (turning of the chariots southward) on July 21, Sandhya Darshan on July 23, Bahuda Yatra on July 24, Suna Besha on July 25, Adhara Pana and Garuda Sayana Niti on July 26, and Niladri Bije on July 27, when the sibling deities will ceremonially return to the Shree Jagannath Temple.