PURI: On Saturday, Dhanu Sankranti marked the offering of the ‘Pahili Bhog’ featuring special sweet cakes crafted from freshly harvested crops to Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra in the sanctum santorum of the Shree Jagannath Temple here.
This sacred offering will continue for a month, concluding on Makar Sankranti. The temple doors opened at approximately 2 am, with commencement of daily rituals like Mangal Arati, Abakash, Mailum, Rosahoma, and Surya puja. Following these rituals, the ‘Pahili Bhog’ - an assortment including Bada Bara, Kakera, Bada Jhilli, Bada Badi, Arisha, Mugei, Sana Jhili, Sana Amalu, Nali, Endury, Ladu, Gaja, Khairachula, Manda, Chudapua, and Kantei—crafted from grams and wheat, was offered to the deities. Additionally, Dhanu Muan, provided by Bada Odia Mutt, was offered to the Trinity.
Devotees, in large numbers, were seen purchasing the ‘Pahili Bhog’ and Dhanu Muan Mahaprasad, partaking in the traditional feast.
Meanwhile sand artist Sudarshan Patnaik has sought the intervention of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik into the ongoing renovation of mathas under the state government’s ambitious Srimandir Heritage Corridor (Parikrama) project set to be inaugurated on January 17.
In a letter to the chief minister on Saturday, Sudarshan alleged in a bid to complete the project before inauguration, the workers are doing substandard work as far as renovation of mathas is concerned. “They are damaging the original work on matha walls and replacing the sculptures with plain stones,” he wrote.
The Odisha Bridge & Construction Corporation (OBCC) Limited - the company under the Works department which is implementing the project - is racing against time to complete all the facilities under the 75-metre heritage corridor project. It is currently re-developing 15 mutts and plans to finish the work before January 15.