As many as 60 platoons of police force have been deployed for the smooth and timely conduct of different rituals on the auspicious occasion of Snana Purnima of Lord Jagannath and his siblings Lord Balabhadra and Goddess Subhadra in Puri on Sunday.
Deva Snana Purnima is a significant ritual prior to the famous Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath in Puri.
As per reports, all the preparations are in place for the ceremonial bathing ritual known as ‘Snana Ustav’ in full public view. Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) has emphasized on smooth and timely conduct of the rituals.
As per the schedule, ‘Pahandi Bije’ will be conducted at 4 o’ clock in the morning. It will be followed by the grand bathing ritual of the deities known as ‘Jalalagi neeti’ at 11 AM. A total of 108 pitchers of herbal and aromatic water will be used to bathe the deities. Devotees will have darshan of the deities in the famous elephant attire (Hati Besha) of the deities from 2 pm.
“Pahandi Bije ritual of the deities is important for the timely conduct of all the rituals during Snana Yatra. Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) and all the servitors are trying their best for the smooth and timely conduct of all the rituals during the popular festival. Efforts are on for smooth darshan for thousands of devotees,” said senior servitor, Muktinath Pratihari.
Thousands of devotees are expected to throng Puri to have the darshan of deities in popular Hati Besha (a form of Lord Ganesha). Elaborate security arrangements have been made to prevent any kind of untoward incidents during the festival.
“Police officials have visited all the crucial points prior to the festival and security planning has been made accordingly. All the officials are geared up about their duty. Police forces have been deployed at all the places and they are fully prepared to facilitate smooth darshan of devotees and regulate the crowd properly,” said Central Range IG, Ashish Singh.