PURI: The stage is set for the Deva Snana Purnima rituals of the Trinity in Shree Jagannath temple here on Wednesday.
The deities will be escorted to Snana Bedi at around 4 am on Wednesday in a ceremonial Pahandi procession by Daita servitors. The ritual will be completed by 6 am. After installing the deities on the Snana Bedi, Mangalalati, Mailam, Tadap Lagi and Abakash would be performed by the servitors.
The Sana Purnima is a prelude to the annual Rath Yatra of the Holy Trinity scheduled to start on June 27.
The ceremonial bathing of the deities, using 108 pitchers of aromatic water, is scheduled to commence at 9.30 am and conclude by noon. Puri Gajapati Dibyasingha Deb will perform the Chherapahanra on the Snana Bedi at around 3.30 pm following which the deities will be dressed in elephant attire, famously known as the Hati Besha.
The Snana Purnima rituals began on Monday night with the Daita servitors preparing the deities for the Pahandi to Snana Bedi. They will fix the Chenapatta (body armour) on the deities on Tuesday night to minimise the stress during the Pahandi. Another group of servitors will fix Charmalas (huge ladders) to the Ratna Singhasan to facilitate the Pahandi.
To ensure the sanctity and security of the rituals, unauthorised persons will not be allowed to touch the deities, with exceptions only for servitors on duty for the ushering in ritual. CCTV cameras have been installed to monitor the entire proceedings.
Elaborate security arrangements have been put in place for the Snana Purnima. At least 70 platoons of police, three commandants and 450 senior officers have been deployed to ensure the safety and security of devotees. To manage traffic flow, one-way traffic will be enforced along Puri-Bhubaneswar highway from Malatipatpur.
Additionally, 19 parking places have been identified in and around Puri town. Barricades have been erected along the Badadanda to regulate movement of devotees.
Public darshan from behind the barricades will be permitted until late in the evening. Following this, the deities will be moved to the Anasara Ghara (sick room) where they will stay for a fortnight. The deities will be brought out for the Nabajouban Darshan, a day before the Rath Yatra.
The arrangements are being looked after by a team of senior officials including chief administrator of the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration Arabinda Padhee, Puri collector Siddharth Swain and SP Vinit Agarwal.