Lakhs of devotees, including Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and other prominent dignitaries, assembled on Wednesday to witness the grand ceremonial bathing of Lord Jagannath at the historic 12th-century temple, held in an open pandal within the temple premises.
The sacred Snana Yatra rituals commenced early Wednesday morning as the deities were ceremonially bathed on the Snana Mandap—a specially constructed elevated altar facing the Grand Road, allowing thousands of devotees to witness the annual tradition, officials said.
According to temple authorities, the ritual began at 5:45 am with the ceremonial procession of Shree Sudarshan, who was the first to be brought out of the sanctum and placed on the bathing platform. He was soon followed by the idols of Lord Balabhadra, Devi Subhadra, and Lord Jagannath, who were taken in a grand procession to the Snana Mandap for the elaborate bathing ceremony.
The sacred Pahandi ritual—where the deities are carried in a ceremonial procession—was completed by 8:55 am on Wednesday, a temple official confirmed.
Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, accompanied by Puri MP Sambit Patra, entered the temple premises through the Uttara Dwara (northern gate) to offer prayers and witness the grand procession of the deities, another official added.
Marking a key event in the religious calendar, the sacred festival of Deva Snana Purnima is being observed today with elaborate rituals at the Jagannath Temple in Puri. Held annually on the full moon day of Jyestha, the occasion is significant as it is the only time in the year when the wooden idols of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra, Devi Subhadra, and Sudarshan are brought out of the sanctum sanctorum for a public viewing.
In a ceremonial procession steeped in tradition, the deities are escorted to the Snana Mandap, an elevated bathing platform within the temple complex. The ritual bath, scheduled around 12:20 pm, will involve the pouring of 108 pitchers of sanctified water drawn from the temple’s Sunakua or ‘golden well’.
Temple priests said the ritual is carried out amid the chanting of Vedic mantras and witnessed by thousands of devotees, making it one of the most spiritually charged events leading up to the famed Rath Yatra.
As part of the concluding rituals of Deva Snana Purnima, the ceremonial sweeping of the Snana Mandap will be performed by Puri’s titular king, Gajapati Maharaj Dibyasingha Deb, around 3:30 pm, temple officials said. This traditional act, known as Chhera Pahanra, symbolizes humility and the king’s devotion.
Following this, the idols of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra, and Devi Subhadra will be adorned in the “Gaja Vesha”, an elaborate elephant attire, drawing thousands of devotees eager to catch a glimpse of the divine spectacle.
Later in the evening, starting at 7:30 pm, devotees will be allowed to participate in the Sahan Mela, the public darshan of the deities before they retreat into seclusion.
According to the temple’s religious calendar, the deities will then be moved back into the sanctum’s Anasara Ghar—a special isolation chamber—where they are believed to fall ill due to the elaborate bathing ritual. During this 14-day period, no public darshan is allowed.
Temple physicians (Baidyas) will administer traditional herbal treatments during this phase. The deities will reappear for Nabajouban Darshan (fresh youth appearance) on June 26, a day before the commencement of the Rath Yatra on June 27.
