PURI: The Trinity was offered ‘Adhar Pana’, a drink dedicated for ‘Parswa Debatas’ (guarding deities around the chariots) and salvation of ghostly bodies and souls wandering near the deities during Rath Yatra, by servitors on Friday evening.
The drink is a blend of nine rich tasty ingredients along with cheese and cream.
Over a dozen of mutt disciples took around three hours to prepare the ‘Adhar Pana’. The ritual began at 8.30 pm after offering of ‘Sandhya Dhupa’.
Servitors placed nine large open-mouthed barrelshaped clay pitchers the drink before the three deities on their respective chariots. The barrels reached up to the lips of the Trinity.
As per tradition, Raghabdas mutt, Bad Odia mutt and Sri Jagannath Temple administration provided three pitchers for the ritual.
Priests performed ‘Sodosha Upachar Puja’ and offered the drink to the deities. After the offering, the earthen pitchers were smashed, spilling the entire drink on the floor of the chariots.
It is believed that numerous spirits, ghostly bodies and souls trailing the lords during the Rath Yatra, eagerly wait for this moment to get Moksha by consuming the holy drink.
Every year, devotees make a rush to collect the spilled drink from beneath the chariots.
However, amid this extraordinary situation brought about by coronavirus pandemic and the Supreme Court’s order to conduct all proceedings of Rath Yatra without the participation of public, no devotees were present to collect the spilled drink.
The Trinity would remain on the chariots and enter sanctum sanctorum of the main temple on Wednesday night in ceremonial Pahandi procession to be conducted by Daita servitors as part of ‘Niladri Bije’ ritual.
The district administration had made elaborate arrangements for smooth conduct of the fete. Temple chief administrator Dr Krishan Kumar and district magistrate Balwant Singh supervised the arrangements.