BHUBANESWAR: At the Shree Jagannath temple, the holy Trinity has not had any rest as the deities’ ‘Pahuda Niti’ could not be conducted for the last three nights, thanks to a huge rush of pilgrims and rituals associated with the specific days.
Servitors of the 12th century shrine attributed it to the large number of devotees congregating outside the Lions’ Gate to offer prayers amidst Panchuka nitis (rituals) of the deities. With the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) focusing on smooth darshan of the Trinity for all devotees, the temple gates have been kept open throughout the night to allow darshan.
During the last five days of Kartika month, the ritual of offering ‘Bala Bhoga’ to the Trinity after the ‘Sakhala Dhupa’ begins along with different Beshas (attires). This year with Panchuka being reduced to four days, the Trinity was adorned in four Beshas on each day at the Srimandir. They are Lakshmi Narayan Besha, Tribikram Besha, Lakshmi Nrusingha Besha and Rajarajeswara or Rajadhiraj Besha.
On Sunday, the first day of Panchuka (Bada Ekadashi), the occasion coincided with Hari Uthapana rituals, Bala Bhoga and Lakshmi Narayan Besha. “Both the Besha and Bala Bhoga ritual require three to four hours. During this period, temple gates are closed for devotees. Besides, there were many other rituals on the day which required the darshan to be stopped for brief periods. With a large number of devotees waiting to have darshan, Pahuda had to be skipped. Our focus was to ensure that no devotee returns home without darshan of the Trinity,” said collector Dibya Jyoti Parida.
On Monday and Tuesday too, when the deities adorned Tribikram Besha and Lakshmi Nrusingha Besha respectively, the shrine witnessed a huge flow of devotees till late in the night. “Each Besha requires time because too many servitors cannot stand atop the Ratna Simhasana to implement the work. Since darshan is stopped during this period, devotees continued to enter the temple throughout the night. As a result, Pahuda Niti could not be done. On all the three days, rituals were delayed,” said Binayak Dasmohapatra, a senior servitor.
As per Srimandir norms, once the Pahuda Niti is performed, the temple gates remain closed for devotees for a minimum of two hours. Such has been the rush in the last three days that darshan of the Trinity was allowed for devotees from the Bahara Katha in Natyamandap. On Wednesday, as Rajarajeswara Besha (that features the deities in golden attire) was completed on time, devotees were allowed till the Bhitara Katha. Servitors said the rituals are likely to be completed late on Wednesday night and a late Pahuda Niti is likely.
An expert on Jagannath Culture, Harekrushna Satpathy said although allowing all devotees to get darshan is a welcome move, Pahuda should not be stopped as it is a crucial part of the daily Niti system. “It is a significant ritual as Lord Jagannath, considered a living deity, requires rest at the end of the day. In the days to come, the SJTA should plan festive days in a manner that darshan is streamlined without affecting Pahuda of the deities,” he suggested.