Devotees start flocking to Alarnath as Trinity gets set to hibernate

Puri: With Lord Jagannath and his siblings scheduled to be taken to Anasara Ghara (secret place) leaving the sanctum of Srimandir from tomorrow following a lavish bath on Debasnana Purnima today, devotees have already started making beelines to Alarnath temple in Brahmagiri of Puri district.

During this period, Lord Krishna who is worshiped as Lord Alarnath in Brahmagiri gives devotees the same spiritual joy as worshiping Lord Jagannath. It has been a belief that the Trinity get a high fever following the lavish bath on Debasnana Purnima; hence, they undergo treatment in a secret hideout. Patti Dian or traditional painted images are worshiped in the Puri temple during the fortnight long hibernation of the deities.

During this period, devotees from far-flung areas throng Brahmagiri  to take darshan of Lord Alarnath since they will be deprived of getting a glimpse of Lord Jagannath for a fortnight till Rath Yatra. The footfall reaches lakhs everyday during this fortnight. Moreover, Khiri (rice porridge) prepared in the temple as an offering to the deity is immensely popular among visitors.

The temple is named after the Alwar royal dynasty of Rajasthan. It is believed that the shrine was established by one of the Alwar rulers and hence has been named as Alwarnath or Alarnath, said a devotee.

Despite poor condition of roads caused by water-logging in the absence of drainage system, devotees have already started flocking to the place to offer prayer to Lord Alarnath.

Sources said a whopping Rs 14.37 crore was sanctioned for construction of a road connecting Brahmagiri Bazaar and Alarnath Peetha and a drainage system 2015 Nabakalebara . However, the drain is yet to be constructed causing water-logging even after little rain.