As per the age-old tradition, Gajapati of Puri sweeps the decks (Chhera Panhara ritual) of the chariots of Lord Jagannath and his siblings, Lord Balabhadra and Goddess Subhadra during the world famous Rath Yatra. The ritual is conducted after ‘Pahandi Bije’ and subsequently, the chariots are pulled towards Gundicha temple.
In several areas across Odisha, kings generally perform Chhera Panhara. However, in a deviation from the age-old tradition, princesses also conducted the Chhera Panhara rituals in certain parts of the State.
Take the case of Rath Yatra at Dharakote in Ganjam district. The rituals performed during the Rath Yatra at Dharakote are different from Puri. Though the Pahandi Bije rituals are performed on the Rath Yatra, the chariots are pulled by the devotees the following day. Here the Chhera Panhara ritual was performed by Princess Sulakhyana Gitanjali Devi. Gitanjali is performing the rituals after the demise of the Dharakote King.
“I feel blessed and fortunate to offer service to the Lord as a woman. I express my gratitude towards the Lord and the people of the area to give me this great opportunity to perform Chhera Panhara during Rath Yatra,” said Gitanjali Devi.
In Gadamadhupur area under Dharmasala block of Jajpur district as well, Chhera Panhara ritual was performed by Princess Aparna Dheerasingh. She has been performing the sacred ritual for the last 15 years after the death of her father.
“As per the Lord’s blessings and my father’s wish, I have been performing Chhera Panhara since 2008 after my coronation. With Lord’s blessings, the tradition will continue and my elder daughter will continue to offer the service to Lord Jagannath again,” said Dheerasingh.