Public darshan of deities at Puri Srimandir restricted due to secret rituals

Puri: Ahead of the Snana Yatra of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra tomorrow, public darshan of the Holy Trinity has been restricted today till 2 pm due to the ongoing ‘secret rituals’ at the Srimandir.

The Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) today informed that the devotees will not be allowed to have darshan as the ‘Shree Anga Surakhya Niti’ rituals of the deities have already begun since late last night followed by the 'Senapata lagi'.

As per the ritual, servitors will apply a paste made of 'Baula Katha' to the deities to protect them during the 'Pahandi Bije' rituals ahead of being taken to the 'Snana Mandap' for the royal bath ceremony tomorrow.

During the Snana Yatra, the deities will be bathed in 108 pitchers of aromatic water at Snana Mandap tomorrow. Following this, the deities will catch fever and Daitapati servitors will perform rituals to cure the Lords.

After the ‘Nabajouban’ darshan of the Holy Trinity, the Rath Yatra festival will begin on July 4.

The return journey, Bahuda Yatra, will be held on July 12. As pre the schedule, the Sunabesha of the deities aboard the chariots is scheduled on July 13. Niladri Bije will mark the end of the festival.

Meanwhile, carpenters are busy in construction work of chariots at the ‘Ratha Khala’ in the pilgrim city as few daya are left for the annual chariot festival.