Puri: Krishna Pushya Abhishek ritual is being observed at Jagannath Temple in Odisha’s pilgrim town of Puri town on Thursday. A large number of devotees thronged the 12th century shrine where the Lords give darshan in golden attire on the occasion.
As per the holy text Skanda Purana 2.2.42, the ritual is observed in the temple annually for Lord Jagannath on the Pushya Nakshatra day of the Pausa month. On this day, Lord Jagannath is adorned as the king.
The Puranas describe the coronation of Lord Ram on this day after his return from 14 years of exile.
During the Krishna Pushya Abhishek, Lord Jagannath is bathed with 108 pitchers of holy water. Subsequently, servitors coronate the Lord according to the tradition of Srimandir. Following the ‘angyamala’ of Lord Jagannath, Goddess Laxmi visits the Jagamohan seated in a palanquin.
Thereafter, servitors perform the ‘Raja Rajeshwar’ or ‘suna besha’ of the deities on the ‘Ratna Singhasan’. On this occasion, the deities are adorned with gold ornaments. It is said that the Gods and saints congregate at the sea beach in Puri on this auspicious day. Hence, devotees worship the sea on this day.
A large number of devotees from various parts of the globe visit the temple on this occasion to witness the ‘suna besha’ of the deities which is observed five times every year.
