PURI:The rituals for ‘Brahma Parivartan’ of four deities in Jagannath temple here continued till late Monday night amid tight security and utmost secrecy. While the process, delayed by almost four hours, was going on in Koilibaikuntha on temple premises, the entire area was plunged into darkness as power supply was snapped.
As per tradition, four Badagrahis (chief of the Daita clans) of the four deities __ Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra, Sudarshan and Devi Subhadra __ would transfer the holy ‘Brahmas’ from the old idols to the new ones.
The ongoing 11-day ‘Mahayajna’ at Koilibaikuntha concluded with Gajapati Dibyasingha Dev offering ‘Purna Ahuti’ at around 10 pm. Swotriya Brahmins conducted ‘Jibanyash’, the ceremony of the idols, and left the temple along with the Biswakarmas engaged in carving the images of the four deities.
At 9 pm, the entire temple and surrounding areas were engulfed in darkness as lights were switched off to maintain the secrecy of performing rituals involving transfer of ‘Brahmas’.
Daitapatis conducted ‘Mahasnan’ of the new idols and dressed those in Khandua (a special silk cloth) in darkness. The new idols were then shifted to seats in Koilibaikuntha enclosure facing the old deities.
The four blind-folded Badagrahis, with hands wrapped in silk cloths, opened the navel cavity of the old idols simultaneously, brought out the ‘Brahmas’ and placed those on four Khatulis (small thrones). The ‘Brahmas’ were given holy basil water bath and Patimahapatra, a Daita servitor, offered Bhog to the ‘Brahmas’.
Thereafter, almost all the members of Daita clan visited the temple for ‘Brahma Darshan’ and presented ‘Darshan Pranami Dakshina’.
The Badagrahis then put the ‘Brahmas’ of the respective deities in their navel cavity and closed the doors of the cavities. The navel area was wrapped in several layers of silk cloth. The new idols were then escorted to Anasar Ghar (sick room of the deities). The new idols would remain in the sick room for a month from Monday and would be ready for ‘darshan’ on Nabajauban Darshan ceremony, a day prior to the annual Rath Yatra on July 18.
On the other side, other Daitapatis carried the bodies of the old idols along with Praswadavatas, Kalashas, Sarathis, Wooden Horses, Olata Suas of the three rathas and buried them in Koilibaikuntha graveyard.
