Special Rituals At Puri Jagannath Temple For Lunar Eclipse

Puri: The Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) has made elaborate arrangements for some special rituals during the total lunar eclipse on Friday.

These began with ‘Dwarafita’ at 5 am. The temple administration has decided to complete Mahaprasad preparation, following the ‘Sakala Dhupa’ ritual by 11 am.

The ‘Mahasnana’ ritual of the presiding deities would be performed during the lunar eclipse. Besides, they will be offered ‘Khaikora’ (a prasad made from puffed rice) during the eclipse.

All the route rituals, including ‘Bhogamandap’, ‘Mailam’ and ‘Tadapalagi’, will be performed by 2:54 pm.

This apart, special ritual called ‘Debaniti’ will be completed nine hours before the eclipse that starts at 11:54 pm and will continue till 3:49 am on Saturday.

“This is a rare lunar eclipse, the longest of the 21^st century. People have been advised to refrain from cooking food after 2:45 pm to avoid ailments,” a priest said.