Rath Yatra: Trinity enters Gundicha Temple as Pahandi completed

Puri: Lord Balabhadra, Lord Jagannath and Goddess Subhadra entered the Gundicha temple after the Pahandi rituals were completed at 8.50 pm today. Lord Sudarshan was carried into the temple after the three deities which marked the end of Pahandi.

After the evening ritual of ‘Sandhya dhoopa’, the deities were carried one after another to the Gundicha temple, starting with lord Balabhadra first, followed by Subhadra and Jagannath in 'goti' Pahandi.

While the Sandhya Dhoopa concluded at around 6.30 pm, the Pahandi during which the deities were carried inside Gundicha temple concluded at about 9 pm. The last meal of the lords, the ‘Bada singhara bhoga’ will be offered on the Adapa Mandap inside Gundicha.

Earlier, the daily rituals of the deities were performed on the chariots today before the Pahandi to the Adapa Mandapa of Gundicha temple in the evening. The deities had reached the Gundicha temple after pulling chariots resumed on Monday morning. The chariot pulling began on Rath Yatra on Sunday.

The different ‘dhoopa’, ‘alatis’ and the ‘bhoga’ or offering of food that form the most important daily rituals of the lords at the Jagannath temple, starting from the first in the morning – the Mangala alati to the gopal ballabha bhoga, abakasa neeti and so on till the afternoon and evening rituals were performed on the chariots.

The deities were offered dry items as food like the kora khai, fruits, grated coconut and so on. Rice and any cooked meal are not allowed on chariots. Since the ‘anna’ prasad is not offered on the chariots, the deities were given only dry dishes.

The deities will stay at Gundicha temple till July 3 when they will return to the Jagannath temple during the Bahuda Yatra. The Adapa Mandap, according to legends, is believed to be the altar where the idols of the deities were constructed.