It is believed that a mere sight of the flag uplifts the downtrodden - that's how it derived its name - Patitapaban.
Jagannath researchers and people responsible for hoisting the flag atop the Srimandir are of the opinion that it is the most sacred part of the temple and is synonymous with Jagannath Culture.
"This is an integral part of the temple. Every nation has its own flag. The symbol on the flag depicts the very existence of that particular nation or the State along with the culture and tradition. The darshan of the flag uplifts the deprived. The symbol on the flag is the symbol of 'Parambramha.' Without even coming to visit the temple, devotees in and around Puri offer Prasad to the Lord by seeing the flag," said Jagannath culture expert, Surya Narayan Ratha Sharma.
This flag is changed daily by 'Chunara Sebakas (servitors)' of the temple and is considered as one of the most daring rituals of Lord Jagannath. Mostly in summers the flag is changed at around 5 PM in the evening while in winters it is done a little earlier. Devotees gather to watch the ritual daily while there are many Jagannath devotees who show interest and donate the flag as a mark of their devotion.
Hoisting the flag at the top of the temple is the most important service that we perform daily apart from other rituals that are under our 'Nijoga (servitor association).' It is risky as we have to climb to the top of the temple.
--- Sarat Mohanty, Chunara Sebaka
Asked about the experience of climbing to the top of the temple, he replied that it is very hard to explain in words.
"We see the Bay of Bengal on one side while Sulari Hills near Balugaon of Khurda can be seen from the other," he added.
According to historical scriptures, previously long flags were installed at the top and those were called 'Sagarbhija Bana.' And a few decades ago flags measuring 151 hand length were hoisted by the 'Chunara Sebakas.'
"The last time a flag measuring 151 hand length was hoisted in 1993 when Bollywood actor and politician Sunil Dutt donated the flag for his son Sanjay Dutt who was under the trial in TADA court and I was given the responsibility to perform the ritual that day," said Sarat Mohanty.
"Later, Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) asked to reduce the flag's length first to 21 hand length and then to 14-hand length to avoid damage the temple because of air friction," added Mohanty.
The ‘pana’ is a rich drink prepared by the Mahasura servitors with milk, banana, cheese, aromatic spices and water. The water used to prepare the drink is collected by Pania Apat servitors from a well on the premises of Chhauni mutt near the Singhadwara.
As per rituals, the drink is offered to the deities in their respective chariots in nine large cylindrical-shaped pitchers, three for each deity. The one meter long pitchers are placed in a manner that it touches lips of the three siblings. Later, the ‘Sodasa Upachar’ is recited by the Pujapanda Samanta servitors following which the pana is offered to the holy Trinity.
Soon after the offering, the servitors break the earthen pitchers to allow the drink spill over the chariots. It is believed that evil spirits roaming around the chariots and the Lords consume this holy drink and attain ‘mokshya’ or salvation.
Meanwhile, preparations for the Adhara pana have started as the holy triads are atop the chariots on the Badadanda in front of the Singhadwara.
Major rituals like Sakala Alati, Mailama, Tadaplagi, Abakasha, Gopalaballav, Sakala Dhoopa have been conducted. Other rituals like Madhayna Dhoopa and Sandhya Alati will be conducted before the Adhar Pana.
Also Read: ASI inspects ‘Garbhagriha’ as Holy Trinity set to return to ‘Ratna Singhasana’
Lakhs of devotees from the State and abroad are thronging the Badadanda to witness the Adhara pana ritual.
“I feel so emotional. The mere sight of the Lords is so spellbinding that I do not have words to explain my feelings. The gold attire was magnetic and I won’t leave without seeing the Adhara pana rituals,” said a woman devotee.
Elaborate arrangements have been made by the Odisha police for maintaining law and order during the ritual. The Niladri bije, which marks the end of the Lord sojourn will be held tomorrow.
During the rituals of Suna Besha, deities will be bedecked with golden crowns and other jewellery. With mukutas, malas and chitas, the deities will be ornamented and worshipped on their respective chariots.
The ornamentation of the deities will begin at 5 pm and devotees will be able to witness the Besha from 6.30 pm to 10 pm, informed sources.
Mangala Alati and Mailama-Tadapa Lagi rituals were performed early in the morning. Other major rituals of deities -Abakasha, Gopalaballav, Sakala Dhoopa, Mailama, Madhayna Dhoopa and Sandhya Alati will be performed before the Suna Besha.
The Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) and district administration have made elaborate arrangements for smooth conduct of the Suna Besha.
Barricades have been put in place while adequate police personnel have been deployed for hassle-free darshan of the sibling deities, informed Satyajit Mohanty, ADG.
Yesterday Lord Balabhadra’s chariot Taladhwaja, Lord Jagannath's Nandighosa and Devi Subhadra’s chariot Darpadalana returned to their abode after a nine-day sojourn.
Despite waterlogging and incessant rain, lakhs of devotees from across the world had turned up on the Badadanda to witness the homecoming of the deities.
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This will be the first appearance of Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra before the devotees after recuperating from their 15 days fever. Earlier, a special ritual to mark recovery of the deities called ’Chaka Bije’ was held on July 8 at the Anasara chamber of the 12th century shrine.
During the first four days of the Anasara period, Lords were provided ‘Garam Chikitsa’ followed by ‘Phuluri Tela Seva’ on the fifth day. Thereafter from the sixth to ninth day, ‘Osa Lagi’ ritual was conducted by Pati Mohapatra servitors and on the tenth day, the ‘Chaka Bije’ is held.
The divine deities had undergone ‘Phuluri tela seva‘-an herbal oil treatment as part of a secret healing method under supervision of the Raja Vaida on the fifth day of Anabasara period.
Puri: A fight broke out between a Bhoi servitor of Puri Srimandir and a devotee today in which both of them were severely injured.
According to sources, complaints have been filed by both at Singhadwar Police Station.
The incident occurred when one devotee identified as Dalton Das, who along with his family & friends had come for Lord Jagannath's darshan, got into an argument with a servitor of Taladhwaja (Lord Balabhadra's chariot), Biswanath Bhoi, near the chariot construction yard (Ratha Khala) for some reason.
The servitor allegedly hit Dalton's head with a stone injuring him. In retaliation, Dalton attacked the servitor, who was left with a broken nose, informed sources.
"I was attacked with a stone after I objected to an unknown person (servitor) keeping his hand on my waist," said Dalton.
On the other hand Bhoi said "I had only asked the person to move away as he was standing near a log of wood as he could have hurt himself, but instead of moving, he punched me."
After accepting complaints from both, police have started an investigation into the case.
Inspector-in-charge of Singhadwar police station, Gokul Chandra Das, said "Both the servitor and the devotee had gone to a hospital to get first aid before filing complaints. We are currently investigating the case."
Hearing a PIL on the repair works of Jagamohan, the hall facing the sanctum sanctorum of the temple, the High Court today directed ASI to carry out repair works of the 13 temples.
The ASI also stated that repair work of the Jay-Vijay Dwar which begun on May 13 will continue for eight weeks.
The High Court has asked the ASI to undertake the renovation works in close coordination with the temple administration.
According to sources, the ASI had sought 1 month time from the court to finish the repair work.
In a bid to ensure hassle-free darshan by devotees, the court has asked ASI to use hanging plates during the repair work. The core committee will hold a meeting on April 26 before the repair work begins on May 1, informed sources.
Apart from this, the court has sought a report on information on the current condition of all temples around the Srimandir and after a report from the temple administration, ASI and State government; repair work will be taken up, added sources.
In the meantime, the High Court has expressed satisfaction over the smooth conduct of Lord Jagannath’s ritual.
“State government authorities and ASI will submit a report on the temples around the main temple along with the Mukti Mandap. If required repair work of these temples will be done. The Bench has asked for a report. The repair work of Srimandir's Jay-Vijay Dwar will begin on May 1," advocate Ashok Mohapatra said.
General darshan of Mahaprabhu will remain closed from 3.30 pm till 7.30 pm due to a secret ritual 'Paita Lagi,' informed officials of the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA).
"No devotees will be allowed to the sanctum sanctorum during these hours," said an SJTA official.
As per the ‘Paita Lagi’ rituals, Daitapati servitors, will cover the body of the Trinity with a special silk cloth called ‘basunga patta’, which is later rubbed with sandalwood paste.
To celebrate rasagola itself and the Odianess of the sweet, Odisha Television Limited is hosting the first ever Rasagola Mahotsav on January 14 at the Municipality Kalyan Mandap at Chandrasekharpur in the capital city.
The unique celebration is a tribute to the sweet cherished so much in Odisha. Available in various avatars across the State, visitors can find at least six variants of rasagola at this festival to be hosted on the occasion of Makar Sankranti.
Top rasagola makers and inventors of its varieties like confectioners from Salepur's Bikalananda Kar chain, Pahala area, Nimapada, Puri and so on will be demonstrating preparation of the sweet at Live Cooking Station. Trivia about the Odisha's rasagola connection will be shared in interesting ways. There will be Odia celebrities including film stars to perform at the programme as well as try different rasagolas while selfie zones will be an attraction for the young visitors at the event.
A major highlight at the Mahotsav will be the attempt to make the biggest rasagola of the world that is expected to be over 10 kgs.
Official sources said, a police official has been accused of touching the deity during the pahandi ceremony in the evening. The officer in dock has been identified as Amulya Dhar, former Inspector-in-charge of Marine Police Station.
SJTA chief administrator Pradip Jena informed that IG (Central Range) has been entrusted to conduct a detailed investigation into the allegations.
It can be recalled that similar controversy had also cropped up after Badagrahi of Devi Subhadra, Ramchandra Dasmohapatra brought allegations that devotees allegedly touched the deities during the Kirtan Chakada of Lord Balabhadra during Rath Yatra on June 25.
Earlier, the SJTA had banned touching deities by devotees during pahandi or atop chariots during Rath Yatra this year via a notice issued on June 23.
Also Read: Servitors challenge SJTA, Gajapati’s decision on ‘touching deities’
First the chariot of Goddess Subhadra will be moved to face south followed by the chariots of Lord Balabhadra and Lord Jagannath.
Hera Panchami was celebrated yesterday at the Gundicha temple. As per the rituals, on this day, Goddess Mahalaxmi breaks a part of Nandighosha chariot of Lord Jagannath in a fit of anger.
As per the beliefs, Goddess Laxmi expresses her discontent on Lord Jagannath for leaving her alone at the Srimandir. She reaches Gundicha temple and when she finds the door locked for her, she feels insulted and asks her servitors to break a part of Nandighosha. Later she returns to the main temple through the Nakachana gate by taking the Hera Gohiri Sahi route.
Thousands of devotees yesterday flocked the Gundicha temple to witness the rituals.
During Rath Yatra, Lord Jagannath comes out of his temple and leaves with his siblings Lord Balabhadra and Goddess Subhadra for a nine day sojourn to the Gundicha temple.
On the fifth day, angry on Lord Jagannath for leaving her alone at the temple, Goddess Mahalaxmi leaves for Gundicha temple in a palanquin and first halts near Nandighosha, chariot of Lord Jagannath. After completion of ‘Bandapana’ ritual she comes to 'Jaya Bijaya Dwara' where she is provided with 'agyan mala' (a garland of consent) taken out from the body of Lord Jagannath.
As she is furious, the door of Gundicha temple is locked for her. Feeling insulted she asks her servitors to break a part of Nandighosha. Later she returns to the main temple through the Nakachana gate by taking the Hera Gohiri Sahi route.
Meanwhile, thousands of devotees have thronged Gundicha temple to get a glimpse of the Lord at his birth place.
Even though non-Hindus are prohibited from entering the Gundicha Temple, servitors today spotted two foreigners roaming inside the temple. The servitors detained the duo and handed over to police.
The police whisked them away to nearby police station for verification of their passport and questioning.
Meanwhile, the incident has created flutter in the pilgrim city. The police also drew flak for failing to stop them at the entrance.
The temple administration is yet to comment on the issue.
Also Read: Rath Yatra: Pulling of chariots resumes in Puri
Earlier in April, a tourist from Argentina had entered the Puri Jagannath Temple, which is also off limits to non-Hindus.
The Gundicha temple has been decked up for this nine-day fete.
After the sandhya dhupa ritual, the deities will be taken inside the temple in a ceremonial procession. A similar pahandi bije ritual of the deities will be performed as was done when the deities were brought outside the Srimandira before Rath Yatra.
After servitors install Lord Ramkrushna, Lord Madanmohan and Lord Sudarshan on the Adapa Mandap, goti pahandi of Lord Balabhadra from Taladhwaja Rath, Goddess Subhadra from Debadalana and Lord Jagannath from Nandighosha will be performed.
Also read: Rath Yatra: Pulling of chariots resumes in Puri
On the other hand a technical team of Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) will inspect the Garbha Gruha (sanctum sanctorum) of Lord Jagannath Temple in Puri today along with Director (Monument) of ASI and officials of the temple.
The team will also inspect the Nata Mandap of the temple following the remarks of Gajapati Maharaj Dibyasingha Deb. In an exclusive interview to OTV on June 24, the Gajapati king had expressed resentment over Nata Mandap’s condition.
As per the norm, the PMO wishes the public on all special occasions through social media. While the Prime Minister Narendra Modi is in USA, the PMO tweeted a wish for Rath Yatra today. However, the tweet read, “The poor relate with Lord Jagannath” and that Jagannath is the Lord of the poor.
The poor relate with Lord Jagannath. Greetings on Rath Yatra. #MannKiBaat pic.twitter.com/ki9nqVJ07L
— PMO India (@PMOIndia) June 25, 2017
This has not gone well with devotees of Lord Jagannath. Many people instantly reacted over the statement criticizing the PMO tweet for dividing the devotees of the deity among rich and poor.
While some wrote Jagannath is the Lord of the Universe and no such differences stand before him, others said, ‘everyone is poor who doesn’t believe in God. Lord Jagannath is lord of the Universe and all relate with him.’ Another Twitter user wrote, “Jagannath culture is not only predominated in Puri but it is global. Where is Garbi then?”
Despite rains, lakhs of devotees have turned up at pilgrim town to take part in the annual 9-day fete that marks the sojourn of the deities to Gundicha temple.
Elaborate arrangements have been made by the temple administration to conduct the rituals on time and ensure hassle free darshan for all as the deities come out of the temple and get on to their respective chariots---Nandighosa (Jagannath), Taladhwaja (Balabhadra) and Devadalana (Subhadra).
Mangala Alati 6 am
Mailama at 6.10
Tadapalagi and Rosa Homa 6.30.
Abakash ritual, Surya Puja and Dwarapala puja 7.30
Besha 7.30
Gopala Ballahav,Khechudi Bhoga-8am to 9am
Mangalarpana 9.15 am
Entry of Madan Mohan 12.30 to 1 pm
Chitalagi 1 pm to 1.30 pm
Chhera Pahanra 1.30 to 2.30 pm
Puri Rath Yatra 2017 Album:
Devotees made a serpentine queue to have a glimpse of Lord Jagannath and his siblings even as the darshan started three hours late following delay in rituals.
"We were eagerly waiting to have darshan of Lord Jagannath, who was in the Anasara Ghara for 15 days. The rain does not deter us from visiting the Lords today", said a devotee.
On the other hand, the servitors expressed hope about smooth conduct of rituals tomorrow for the festival. "All things will pass very smoothly. I don’t think any problem will arise tomorrow”, said Binayak Das Mohapatra, senior Daitapati servitor.
Temple administration has fixed the ritual schedule for tomorrow. Mangala Arati will be held at 8 am, Rath Pratistha at 9 am, Pahandi at 9.30 pm, Chhera Pahanra by Gajapati Maharaj between 2 pm and 3 pm. The chariot pulling will begin at 3.30 pm.
The Sri Jagannath Temple Administration has strictly instructed devotees not to touch the deities. Posters and hoardings warning against touching deities are put up at different places in the pilgrim town. "If anybody violates the norm and tries to touch deities, we will not hesitate to take legal action against them ", SJTA chief administrator PK Jena said.
Keeping in view the huge turnout like every year, security arrangements have been beefed up in the town. As many as 127 platoons of forces including Swift Action Force have been mobilised to ensure security during the huge congregation.
However due to heavy rains today morning, the grand road was completely submerged. Medical square, Grand Road, VIP road, fire station area, marine drive witnessed ankle-deep water making it inconvenient for the visitors. Darshan of the Lords was also affected due to rain for quite sometime today. Water pumps were pressed into service to release the overflowing water at many places.
"We are ready to discharge the overflowing water caused by the rain. Pumps have been put in place to release the extra water from low lying areas", Collector Aravind Agrawal said.
Dasmohapatra servitors adorned the deities late into the night on Friday and completed the ‘Banakalagi’ ritual which is the preparation before the special darshan today.
All the rituals have been restored in the temple after a gap of 15 days while the lords were out with a fever after the ‘Grand Bath’ on Snana Purnima. 'Chaka Apasar' ritual is scheduled to begin at 6 am in the morning followed by ‘Mangal Alati’, ‘Abakash Niti’ and then the three deities would be seated on their throne in the sanctum with their Nabajouban Darshan ritual to begin from 10 am and continue till 10 pm in the night.
On the other hand at Ratha Khala, the chariot making is in its last stages. After the completion of ‘Agyan Mala’ ritual or the divine permission all the three chariots would be moved from Ratha Khala to Singha Dwara where they would be ready to be pulled tomorrow on Gundicha Yatra, the first day of Rath Yatra. Lord Jagannath and his siblings would embark on a nine-day sojourn to Mausi Maa temple.
Amid all this the temple administration is making final arrangements and security has been skyrocketed in the pilgrim town.
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Elaborate measures have been undertaken by the district administration to ensure smooth darshan of Lord Alarnath as every year thousands of devotees throng the shrine during this period.
A devotee from Bhanjanagar visiting the Brahmagiri shrine said, “Due to the favourable climate today, I paid respect to Lord Alarnath without much trouble. Though earlier I had visited the Sri Jagannath temple several times, this year for the first time I got chance to come here.”
Another devotee stated, “We have been visiting the shrine since last year and are quite happy with the arrangements put in place by the administration for darshan.”
As per the belief, the Lord Jagannath and siblings get fever following the bathing ritual, Deba Snana Purnima, and remain in ‘Anabasara’ for 15 days and appear before public a day before the Rath Yatra.
The Maharana servitors said that they complete the construction work withing 58 days after working overtime before Snana Purnima and Netra Utsav. They had written to the Sri Jagannath Temple Administration on June 1 to pay them overtime wages at the earliest for timely completion of the construction of chariots. Since there was no response from administration, the servitors stalled the work today.
Later, the administrator (rituals) Maheswar Panigrahi and thereafter SJTA chief administrator Pradip Jena met the three chief Maharanas of the three chariots and assured them that the overtime wages will be paid timely after which the construction work of Raths has resumed.
"We were assured by the chief administrator that we will get our overtime wages on time. Hence, we have begun the construction work again," said Bijay Mohapatra, chief Maharana of Lord Jagannath's chariot Nandighosha.
Talking to newsmen at the Circuit House in Puri where she is stationed since last evening while on a three-day Odisha visit, Mamata said, “They (BJP) cannot do anything constructive except creating rift among people from different religion and regions. However, they will not be successful in their motive as we won’t let that happen.”
On the FIR filed against the Trinamool leaders in connection with the Narada chit-fund case, Banerjee said, “These decisions are taken with evil intentions and politically motivated. The TMC is against BJP on ideological grounds. But they are fighting against us at a personal level. We will take up the challenge and handle the matter legally.”
Talking about the relationship between the two states West Bengal and Odisha, Mamata said, “In my state, every person worships Lord Jagannath with much reverence and ensures visiting Puri at least six times a year. For us Kali Ghat, Dakhineswari Mandir or Jagannath Mandir, are all the same. In Digha or Puri, the beaches are equally captivating.”
“I am a Hindu but not the one who defames religion. When the Hindu belief talks about ‘move forward taking all along’ ideology, the saffron party is acting against the ideology and defaming Hindutva, ” she added.
Also read: Mamata meets ailing Trinamool MP in Odisha
She has sought an appointment from the CMO to meet Naveen Patnaik. ''I will meet him tomorrow and leave for West Bengal thereafter.”
Countering Mamata’s charges, BJP national spokesperson and West Bengal In-charge Suresh Pujari said, “Why did she think of visiting Lord Jagannath now. Is it because she has panicked after the CBI has started probing the Saradha and Narada chit fund scams.”
Expressing his displeasure, Pujari also referred to the potato crisis in Odisha when Mamata had not cooperated at all. “During that time, Mamata was the only one who mounted troubles for Odisha,” Pujari added.
Reacting to the proposed reformation suggestions of Justice Das, senior Daitapati servitor Binayak Das Mohapatra today said, "There is vast difference between Jagannath Temple and Tirupati Temple. While servitors of Shri Jagannath Temple offer 128 types of services there is only one type of service in Tirupati. Hence the proposed reforms in Shri Jagannath Temple in line with the Tirupati Temple as suggested by the Commission are entirely out of place and is very difficult to implement. If the Commission persists with its decision, all Nijogs in the temple here will vehemently protest against it."
It may be mentioned that a team led by Justice Das had recently visited Tirupati temple to learn about the management system there. During his visit, Justice Das had met various officials including Joint Executive Officer, Chief of the Security and Fire of Tirupati temple and discussed about the security, rituals and management.
Briefing media persons about his visit, earlier in the day, Justice Das had said, "In Tirupati the security, rituals and persons offering prayers are managed by blending of two cadres. One includes the temple cadre who rise to a particular extent by means of promotion and another includes the administrative cadre taken from administrative services. Currently the administrative cadre includes health inspector, security and vigilance officers headed by a Joint Commissioner, who is an IAS officer of 2001 batch."
Mentioning that the Chittor SP is in charge of the entire security of the Tirupati temple, Justice Das added, "There is a serious need of revamp in the security system of Lord Jagannath Temple in Puri."
He further said the team led by him did not find any servitor in Tiripati temple to guide people into the temple. “But there are persons in uniform as guide working in a disciplined manner. Besides, some police personnel in civil dress move inside the temple to keep an eye on the law and order situation," he added.
Talking about the reforms of the Jagannath Temple Justice Das opined, "After going through all the affidavits I propose appointment of a Vigilance officer in the temple and we may recommend the government in this regard."
According to sources, the hearing on their bail plea is now scheduled to be taken up on August 6.
Twelve servitors have been arrested for the unsavoury incident on Niladri Bije night that saw servitors grappling with and assaulting media persons and Puri collector Arvind Agarwal. Out of six servitors arrested for misbehaving with the district collector, three have applied for bail.
The hearing was scheduled for August 2, which was later rescheduled for August 4th after Sinhadwar Police sought more time to submit the case diary in this connection.
On the other hand, servitors Damodar Mahasuar, Jayakrushna Mahasuar, Saina Khuntia, Bhimsen Palankdhari, Ipsit Pratihari, Rabi Dash and two suspended servitors Kashinath Khuntia and Bhagirathi Khuntia against whom non-bailable warrants have been issued, are still untraceable.
Three of them have applied for anticipatory bail in the Orissa High Court.
People came from far off places made a beeline around the three chariots to see the ritual during which servitors break pots carrying the ‘pana’ to allow it to spill over the chariots. It is believed that evil spirits who roam around the chariots for salvation enjoy the drink and leave the spot.
Prior to this, the deities are offered ‘Pana’, a drink specially prepared by Mahasuara servitors out of milk, banana, cheese, aromatic spices and water, in the pots on their respective chariots.
The water required to prepare the drink is collected by Pania Apat servitors from a well on the premises of Chhauni mutt near the Singhadwara.
On Friday, devotees in large numbers had thronged the pilgrim town to witness the ‘Suna Besa’ of the trinity in which 138 types of gold ornaments weighing over two quintals were used for the besa of the deities.
As per the ritual, the deities will be offered ‘Pana’, a specially prepared drink, in pots on their respective chariots. Mahasuara servitors prepare the drink by using milk, banana, cheese, aromatic spices and water.
The water required to prepare the drink is collected by Pania Apat servitors from a well on the premises of Chhauni mutt near the Singhadwara.
After serving it to the deities, the servitors break the pots allowing the ‘pana’ to spill over the chariots. It is believed that evil spirits who roam around the chariots for salvation enjoy the drink and leave the spot.
On Friday, devotees in large numbers thronged the pilgrim town to witness the ‘Suna Besa’ of the trinity in which 138 types of gold ornaments weighing over two quintals were used for the besa of the deities.
After remaining ill for the last 15 days, the deities will give darshan to their devotees on Tuesday on the occasion of ‘Nabajoubana Darshan’, a day before the world famous Rath Yatra.
According to sources, the rituals of the deities at the Sri Jagannath temple are running late by three hours. Till the last report came in, the ‘Banakalagi’ ritual of the deities had been performed.
Following the ‘Banakalagi’ ritual, ‘Mangala Arati’, ‘Mailam’ and ‘Abakasha Niti’ of the deities will be performed. After the rituals, the ‘Paramanika Darshan’ and ‘Sarbasadharan Darshan’ of the deities will commence, the sources added.
There are two types of darshan of the deities. One is Paramanik darshan in which the devotees buy tickets while the other is Sarbasadharana darshan in which the devotees have darshan without paying anything.
As per the arrangement, the Paramanik devotees will be allowed to enter the temple through its southern gate and move through the Panda Dwara and Muduli Dwara and reach the Bahara Katha Dwara from where they will have the darshan of the deities. After the Paramanik darshan is over, the Sarbasadharana darshan will begin in which the devotees will enter into the temple from the Singha Dwara (Main gate) and move through Sata Pahacha and reach the Bahara Katha Dwara from where they will have the darshan of the deities. After the darshan, the devotees will leave the temple through Egara Dwara and Ghanti Dwara.
Elaborate security arrangements have been made for the Nabajoubana darshan of the deities in the Shri Jagannah temple.
The hour-long documentary, to be aired on National Geographic channel on July 4, will showcase the colour and ceremonies associated with Rath Yatra, a festival in Odisha which involves moving deities Jagannath, Balabhadra, Subhadra and Sudarshana on wooden chariots.
The Rath Yatra featured in the documentary will show the custom of replacing old idols of the deities with new ones -- a practice that happens after either eight, twelve or nineteen years.
Rajeev, who calls himself an atheist, says he was curious to know more about the festival and why it attracts several devotees.
“I got an opportunity to witness something as huge as this, which is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and be a part of the Rath Yatra. I am an atheist, which is why I wanted to go. I wanted to go there and see what brings people in such big numbers and why,” Rajeev told IANS.
“I actually went there and witnessed the faith, the sheer experience... It's difficult to put it in words. Not that I converted after that, but I understood the faith that people have, their fear of god and their beliefs,” he added.
The actor feels that a majority of Indians believe in God, and that they have their own reasons for having that faith.
“You can see how it has transformed their lives, their world. Some people come from remote corners of the country just to attend the Yatra,” the 40-year-old said.
This documentary, which is a Nat Geo Exclusive, will showcase what happens behind the scenes much before the actual event. So, there's an in-depth analysis of the making of the new chariots and the new idols of the deities -- also explaining why the appearance of these deities is so different.
“The Legend of Jagannanth” will tell the story of the carpenters of the gigantic chariots, who instead of using measuring tapes for construction, have relied on the centuries-old tradition of using hand spans for generations.
It will also showcase what it takes to host the huge event on such a big scale. The food as well as the security arrangements for over a million of people visiting will be touched upon. The documentary will also explore the legend and the mythology that surrounds the origin of Jagannath.
The government said it is also in the process of drafting standard operating procedures (SOP) to ensure cleanliness and waste management at 10 national parks and tiger reserves.
The 'iconic' places identified are Vaishno Devi (Jammu and Kashmir), Taj Mahal, Agra, Manikarnika Ghat-Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh), Kamakhya Temple (Assam), Jagannath Puri(Odisha), Ajmer Sharif Dargah (Rajasthan), Meenakshi Amman Temple (Tamil Nadu), Balaji temple Tirupati (Andhra Pradesh), Golden Temple, Amritsar (Punjab) and Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, Mumbai, (Maharashtra).
"We have selected 10 iconic places where with the technical assistance of the World Bank, we will uphold international standards for cleanliness," Parameswaran Iyer, Secretary, Ministry of Drinking Water & Sanitation, said here.
He said the government had also sought help from international experts and a team of the World Bank officials would visit these places and hold a meeting in the first week of July.
Adding that the state governments are already working towards this, Iyer along with Ajay Narayan Jha, Secretary, Environment and Forest Ministry, told reporters that the initiative will require participation of corporate houses, both private and public, and people.
The officials said the 'Swachh Bharat Mission', the flagship programme of Prime Ministers Narendra Modi, has made "remarkable progress" in the past 18 months and is "very much on track".
The 10 protected areas taken up for special cleanliness drive are Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary (Andhra Pradesh), Gir Wildlife Sanctuary and National Park (Gujarat), Kanha Tiger Reserve (Madhya Pradesh), Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve and Flamingo Sanctuary (Maharashtra), Nagarhole Tiger Reserve (Karnataka), Periyar Tiger Reserve (Kerala), Sariska Tiger Reserve (Rajasthan), Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (Tamil Nadu) and Jim Corbett Tiger Reserve (Uttarakhand).
Jha said the locations were decided on the basis of higher annual footfall.
Considered as one of the most pious occasions for Hindus to have darshan of the Holy Trinity, the Snana Purnima promises reverberance of spiritual fervour, but this year too, there will be a discernible silence of devotees, the fanfare and the usual lively mass which is the festival’s biggest aspect due to Covid pandemic restrictions.
With the festival banned at places in Odisha except for Puri due to the pandemic resurgence, the district and police administration have put in place elaborate arrangements for the smooth conduct of the event under strict adherence to Covid guidelines. Puri Collector Samarth Verma reviewed the activities today ahead of the festival.
Preparations are in final stages to kick off the bathing ritual of the three deities from 7.30 am tomorrow. In view of the Covid guidelines and Supreme Court order, only selected servitors have been identified to participate in the rituals.
As per the official sources, all servitors and support staff like government officials, police have been tested for Covid and around 90% of samples have been found negative and cleared for go ahead. This apart, second dose vaccination has also been administered to the servitors in order to ensure that infections do not spread during rituals like Pahandi.
All Palia servitors have been issued special passes for hassle-free movement during the occasion. The passes will remain valid till the completion of the festival.
Security Arrangements
In order to ensure public congregation during the festival, section 144 of the CrPC will be clamped in Puri from 10 pm tonight. The prohibitory orders will remain in force till June 25. Only selected people and those with essential and emergency services will be allowed permission into the town during the hours.
District Police has cautioned people to refrain from violating the restrictions or else face penal actions. A total of 35 platoons of police force have been mobilized to smoothen the organisation of the festival. As many as five ASPs, 23 DSPs, and 41 IICs will remain on duty for security purposes. The town has been divided into six zones based on security aspects and 15 CCTV camera points have been installed to monitor the movement of the people.
The Shree Jagannath Temple Administration will live telecast and webcast the religious event and the State I&PR department has made necessary arrangements.
During the Snana Purnima, the Holy Trinity is bathed with 108 pitchers of aromatic and herbal water. After the ritual, the deities fall sick and recuperate from the illness during the next fortnight in a secret chamber called Anasara before reappearing during Rath Yatra.
"CCTV footage would help in the early detection of temple thefts," Berhampur SP Anirudh Kumar Singh, who wrote to around 75 temple trustees within his jurisdiction asking them to install two cameras inside and outside temples, said.
The SP's letter assumes significance in view of the recent thefts in the district and recovery of three antique 'astadhatu' (alloy of eight metals) idols from Khallikote in Ganjam district.
Let us look inside the grand temple of Puri first. This is the Badadeula, quite literally the ‘big temple’. Of the twenty four styles of homes this is considered to be Vishnu’s favourite and Jagannath was accepted to be a primarily Vaishnavite deity when this temple (the third one) was constructed. He does not live only with his family though; he lives with his relatives, acquaintances and in a complex socio-cultural web, the entire society of Puri operates like a family for this deity to whom the Gajapatis of Odisha voluntarily acceded subservience.
Inside the sanctum sanctorum on the huge singhasana his elder brother Balabhadra sits to the left and Jagannath himself sits to the right; their sister Subhadra is in between her brothers.
Balabhadra is white and his eyes are slightly reddish, intoxicated by the kadambari wine, which is considered to be his favourite. Canopying his head is the seven-headed white snake and he holds a huge pestle and plough in his hands. Being the elder brother, he is revered and obeyed without question.
Besides, everybody knows that he is easy-to-anger and easy-to-please and hence, no one messes with him. No one. Jagannath on the other hand is everyone’s friend. They can talk to him as they are, without pretension, even hurling abuses and joking about his black face. To the young guys he’s the cool dude, to the elderly & the octogenarian priest he is a son and to the dancing Mahari servitor her husband.
Balabhadra is a bachelor while Jagannath’s wives Bhudebi and Sridebi sit on both sides of him. Bhudebi is generally equated with Saraswati; calm, composed, artistic and knowledgeable. Sridebi or Lakshmi on the other hand is fickle, jealous and always looking for a fight. Lakshmi even dares to get into an argument with Jagannath when he returns after the Ratha Jatra. One of the insults hurled is from Jagannath who calls her squint-eyed. Going one step further he calls her father, the sea god Mahodadhi ‘salty’ and ’screaming’ and at the end, poor Jagannath concedes and gives her a sweet Rasagola. He does his job of being a good son-in-law by regularly paying visits to his father-in-law though, so points for that.
The temple rituals acknowledge these ancient, nuanced behavioural analyses by the public. At one point Lakshmi and Saraswati get into a headless fight and poor Saraswati finds that nobody is by her side because all the other greedy demigods want some fast cash by siding with Lakshmi. Jagannath is in an even pitiable state as the husband; he has to stop the banter and he calls the goddess Bimala for help in coaxing the womenfolk. She gets irritated and finds this squabble of no use, preferring to retire to seclusion with her music.
The tantric goddess Bimala sits behind the towering badadeula in her own shrine. She is the mistress of the yoginis and the matrukas, possessing chants and adept in the mystic arts. Donning a classic black saree she tells Lakshmi to throw magic dust on her husband to bring him to his senses if he is too enamoured with his fantastic journey during the Ratha Jatra.
There are other members too. Natua Ganesha, for example, maintains records of the visitors. Agniswara Mahadeba inspects the food that comes out of the stove and Goddess Hingula of Talcher burns as the flame in the kitchen. Lakshmi herself is the head cook. Goddess Kuttama Chandi appears as a dog on the premises if there has been any pollution of the food before offering. Bhandara Lokanatha is the treasurer and the protector of the Ratnabhandara. Isaneswara Mahadeba towards the northern side is Jagannath’s teacher. Hari Sahadeba tends the cattle and is in-charge of the dairy. Khetrapala Mahadeba maintains the security and the ferocious Bedhakali guards the inner complex. Each one has his or her duty in the grand scheme.
Perhaps the most well-known of all of Jagannath’s relatives is Mausi Maa, his maternal aunt. Her actual name is Ardhashani and she looks a lot like Subhadra because they are from the same family. She lovingly cooks a podapitha each year when Jagannath stops by at her humble home by the Badadanda each year during the Ratha Jatra. Bhubaneswar’s Lingaraja Shiva similarly stops by at his sister Kapalini’s house at the Baitala Deula and gives her a gift.
Within Puri, the five major Shivas are good friends of Jagannath. He goes for his boating sessions with them during the Chandana Jatra. Lokanatha and Jagannath have a hilarious conversation on the way. Jagannath tells his pal about his wives always squabbling with each other, and Lokanatha breathes a deeper sigh because his condition is no better. Moreover, his vehicle is a bullock and his wife’s a lion. Their sons have a peacock and a rat. Fed up of all this worldly stuff both of them resign. Jagannath turns to wood and Lokanatha to stone. And so the people of Puri have a saying “He is wood, he is stone; to whom can one turn to?”
A little far away, Niali’s Madhabananda is Jagannath’s uncle. Madhaba lives with his sister Durga in that place. Before the Ratha Jatra, the siblings get permission from their uncle for their outing. The 15th-century philosopher-poet Balarama Dasa even mentions deities across the state who come to Puri to get a sight of Jagannath night time Badasinghara attire.
We have talked about all kinds of relations, but who are the parents? Strange are the deities of Puri; they have not one but five pairs of parents. Each year they offer funeral oblations to Kasyapa-Aditi (for Vamana), Kausalya-Dasaratha (for Rama), Basudeba-Debaki and Nanda-Jasoda (for Krishna). At the end, they make offerings to Indradyumna and Gundicha, the legendary king and queen who erected the first temple and started it all. Indradyumna had asked Jagannath to give him no offspring because then his children would have claimed the temple as a feat of their ancestors. Childless, the couple would have nobody to complete their funeral and so Jagannath took that upon himself.
The 'dark' God of Odisha surely knows how to pay gratitude. :)
The event marked as 'Nabajouban Darshan' is the most important and last phase preparations of the Lords before the commencement of Rath Yatra festivities on July 4.
On occasion of the special ritual, lakhs of devotees are likely to visit Puri Srimandir to get first glimpse of the Lords today ahead of Sri Gundicha Yatra.
As per rituals, Datta Mohapatra servitors will perform traditional ‘shringar’ (make up) of the deities during the special ‘Banakalagi’ ritual between 9 AM to 12 PM.
Banaka Lagi derives its name from ‘Bana’ means forest and ‘Lagi’ means apply. Certain rare forest products used to prepare four types of colours- such as haritala (red), hengula (yellow), sankha (white) and black are applied on the face the dieties. The secret ritual takes a few hours of judicious painting.
After the makeup ritual, the Lords will be decorated and placed back on Ratna Singhasan (the jewel throne) in the Sanctum Sanctorum where the devotees can have their darshan for the first time in 15 days.
Devotees will be allowed for Paramanik darshan of the deities (for ticket holders ) from the Bhitara Katha of the shrine from 2.30 PM to 3.30 PM. Thereafter, the 'Sarbasadharan darshan' (free public darshan) will begin by 3.30 PM and continue till 4.30 PM.
In view of the preparations, devotees will not be allowed entry into the 12th century shrine till 2.30 PM.
Elaborate arrangements have been made by the district police and the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration for smooth and hassle free conduct of the special ritual.
To ensure smooth conduct of the ritual, a committee has been set up by the Shri Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA). The committee includes servitors of Suara Mahasuara Nijog and Daitapati Nijog, informed Chief Administrator of SJTA, Pradipta Mohapatra.
"To avoid any squabble like before, committees have been formed to ensure smooth conduct of the rituals," said Mohapatra.
The ‘pana’ is a rich drink prepared by the Mahasuara servitors with milk, banana, cheese, aromatic spices and water. The water used to prepare the drink is collected by Pania Apat servitors from a well on the premises of Chhauni mutt near the Singhadwara.
Apart from the Trinity, the energy drink is also offered to other divine embodiments present on the three chariots known as parsvadevatas and invisible powers.
The Niladri Bije ritual of the Holy Trinity will be conducted tomorrow.