PURI: The Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) on Saturday released the schedule for the Snana Purnima ritual, a prelude to the annual Rath Yatra. As per the schedule, the priests will perform Mangalarpan, Abakash, Tadaplagi, Rosahoma and offer bhog before dressing the deities in new clothes.
The ceremonial Pahandi of the deities from Garbha Gruha (sanctum sanctorum) to Snana Bedi (bathing altar) by Daita servitors will begin at 4 am on Sunday.
Subsequently, the holy water collected from the designated well located in the temple compound will be drawn by Garabadu servitors and consecrated by priests. The bathing ceremony will begin at 11.20 am.
Three sets of Pujapanda servitors will give the deities a bath from 108 pitchers of aromatic water. In the afternoon, the deities will be dressed in elephant attire, popularly known as Hati Besha. Public darshan will continue throughout the rituals. Ticketed darshan will also be available to around 7,000 devotees at Rs 100 per head for witnessing the Pahandi and bathing ceremony.
Shankaracharya of Puri Peeth Swami Nischalananda Saraswati along with six disciples will offer prayers to the deities. Later, Puri Gajapati Dibyasingha Deb will perform the Chhera Pahanra ritual.
Devotees will not be allowed to touch the deities. After the Hati Besha is unmade, the Trinity will be escorted to Anasar ghar (sickroom) where they will take rest for a couple of weeks after supposedly suffering from fever. The temple physician will treat them with herbal medicines and put them on a fruit diet.
The deities will recover from the sickness a day before the Rath Yatra and appear in their youthful form popularly called Nabajouban darshan. The SJTA has prepared the schedule in consultation with the servitor bodies for timely observance of all the rituals, said chief administrator Ranjan Kumar Das.
The district administration has made elaborate arrangements for the smooth conduct of the Snana Purnima ritual. Around 70 platoons of police force and over 100 senior officers will be deployed for the event. The CCTV cameras installed near the Snana Bedi and at other strategic places like the bus stand and along Badadanda will monitor the crowd movement, said Puri SP K Vishal Singh. The Rath Yatra will be held on June 20.