Srimandir closed for public darshan; devotees throng Alarnath temple

Lord Jagannath and his siblings Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra in Srimandir, Puri are now down with fever. They have become ill after the ritualistic bath with 108 pots of water on Devasnana Purnima on Tuesday. 

The ‘Anasara rituals’ to treat the ailing deities at Srimandir have started from today. The deities’ special treatment is underway at the ‘Anasara Ghar’. As a part of the rituals, the worship of ‘Patti Dian’ has also started. 

Since the lords are kept away from public view during this 15-day-long period of ‘Anasara’, devotees thronged Alarnath temple in Brahmagiri to have a darshan of Lord Alarnath. 

This year, from today the ‘Anasara Darshan’ of Lord Alarnath has been started. As per the tradition, the doors of the temple were opened at 3.30 am and rituals like ‘Mangala Alati’, ‘Tadapa Lagi’, ‘Abakasha Besha’ were performed. And public darshan started from about 5.30 am. 

Similarly, timetable for rituals like ‘Khiri Bhog’, ‘Sandhya Alati and Dhupa, Bada Singhara Besha and Dhupa and Pahada has been fixed at the temple 

To ensure hassle-free darshan, special arrangements taken by the administration are in place. To manage crowd, while barricades have been erected, police forces have also been deployed. 

According to Jagannath culture researcher Pandit Surya Narayan Rathasharma, during this 15-day-long Anasara period, devotees will have blessings of the holy Trinity after having a glimpse of Lord Alarnath, Kheer Bhog and feeding others with this Bhog.