Puri: Thousands of devotees thronged Gopinath Temple at Sakhigopal in Odisha’s Puri district on Friday for Radha Pada Darshan on the auspicious occasion of Anla Navami.
Also known as Akshaya Navami, Anla Navami marks the ninth day of ‘Shukla Paksha’ in the holy Kartika month, according to the Hindu calendar. On the auspicious occasion, Goddess Radha is adorned in a special attire called Odiani Besha while Lord Krishna is dressed in Natabar Besha. She wears a typical Kachha costume and the ritual is known as Radha Pada Darshan.
The temple opened its doors in the wee hours, and then the Mangala Alati was performed. The Radha Pada Darshan for the public will continue during the day. This is the only day when people get a chance to have the darshan of Goddess Radha’s feet which otherwise remains covered throughout the year.
As per the popular Hindu belief, whoever witnesses the holy feet of Goddess Radha gets ‘Moksha’ (salvation).
The Puri district administration has made extensive arrangements to ensure smooth darshan of the deities. Barricades have been set up to regulate the flow of people, and amenities such as drinking water and parking facilities are also being provided. Over 20 platoons of police have been deployed for crowd management and maintaining law and order.
People also worship Anla (Indian gooseberry) tree and Goddess Lakshmi to seek blessings on this day. The occasion is celebrated nine days after Diwali. It is considered one of the most important rituals in the Hindu religion.