Time-Table Of Rituals For Nagarjuna Besha In Puri’s Jagannath Temple Decided

Puri: Even as the preparations for Nagarjuna Besha of Lord Jagannath are going on in full swing, the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) on Wednesday announced the time-table of the function.

Following a meeting of SJTA with the servitors of the temple, Jitendra Kumar Sahu, temple ritual administrator, said the rituals of Nagarjuna Besha will start at 4 am on November 27 and end at 7 am. “Olagi’ will be performed from 2 pm.

Since the devotees are prohibited from having the darshan of deities during Nagarjuna Besha due to COVID-19, the celebration will be confined to rituals only, he said. Since ‘Panchuka’ (holy five days in Kartik month) will be observed for six days this year, the Nagarjuna Besha will be held on third day of ‘Panchuka’, he added.

Stating that an estimated budget of Rs 45 lakh has been drawn for the ‘Nagarjuna Besha’ that will be performed after 25 years. The family of servitor Balaram Khuntia, which has been preparing the attire of the Lord for ‘Nagarjuna Besha’ for over 100 years, has been assigned the task this year also, he added.