Snana Yatra: Darshan at Puri Srimandir restricted in view of Senapatta ritual

Puri: Darshan for devotees will be restricted for few hours at the Puri Srimandir today in view of secret ritual of 'Senapatta' ahead of the holy Snana Yatra of Lord Jagannath and his sibling deities tomorrow.

As per sources, the Daitapatis who took charge of the deities from regular priests will adorn ‘Senapatta’ a body armour made of ‘Baula’ wood, to help them bear stress during ‘pahandi’-the royal escort of the three deities to Snana Mandap, the bathing altar where they will undergo Snana Purnima ritual.

Temple sources said that since the secret 'Senapatta' ritual will take around 4 to 5 hours to complete, the darshan for the general devotees will be restricted during that time.

On the other hand the preparations are in full swing at the  Raghav Das Matha and Gopal Tirtha Matha ahead of the Snana Purnima ritual tomorrow. 'Tahia' required during the Pahandi ritual of the deities are being prepared at Raghav Das Matha.

Snana Yatra is festival of Lord Jagannath and his sibling deities marking a prelude to the annual Rath Yatra. It is the first occasion in the year as per the Hindu calendar when the Lords are brought out from the temple in a procession to Snana Mandap. The deities are then bathed, decorated with ‘Hati Besha’ or elephant costume and displayed for public darshan.

After the Snana Yatra the deities are traditionally believed to fall ill and are kept in a sick room to recuperate in privacy under the care of the Raj Vaidya for a period of 15 days called Anasara during which they would not be displayed for public darshan.

During the Anasara period, devotees head to the Alarnatha Temple in Bramhagiri.