Puri

The ceremonial bathing ritual of Lord Jagannath and his siblings was held within the 12th-century shrine early on Monday, as the seaside town of Puri witnessed the influx of lakhs of devotees eager to catch a glimpse of the deities during the Deva Snan Purnima.

The Snan Yatra is a precursor to the annual Rath Yatra. On this occassion, Lord Balabhadra, Devi Subhadra and Lord Jagannath are taken out of the sanctum santorum and bathed with 108 pitchers of water in full public view.

The devotees get a view of the ritual, held on an elevated altar on the premises of the temple, from the grand road in front of the temple.

This year, the Snan Yatra began at 5.15 am with the ceremonial 'Pahandi' or the procession of the deities, which continued till 8 am. According to the Skanda Purana, King Indradyumna, who had installed the wooden deities in the 12th-century shrine, introduced the bathing ritual.

After being seated on the alta, the servitors performed ‘Mangala Aarti’, which is the first offering to the Lords after the opening of the temple. On Snan Purnima, devotees get the opportunity to see the Mangala Aarti from an open pandal.

Amid chanting of Vedic mantras, altogether 108 pitchers of ‘sacred water’ from the ‘Sunakua’ (golden well), located on the temple premises, will be poured on the idols.

Soon after. Puri's titular king Gajapati Maharaj Dibyasingha Deb would perform ceremonial sweeping of the 'Snana Mandap', and the deities will be adorned with “Gaja Vesha” (attire of elephant God), an official said.

Later, the eities will be taken to the 12th-century shrine and remain in 'Anasara Ghar' (isolation room) for 14 days. Public ‘darshan’ of the deities will remain closed till July 15, a day prior to the annual Rath Yatra.

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Security has been tightened in Puri with the deployment of 79 platoons of the police force, said Inspector General (Central Range) Satyajit Naik.