Mail News Service
Jamshedpur, June 11: The sacred Snan Purnima (bathing festival) of Lord Jagannath Mahaprabhu was observed with traditional fervour and devotion across various temples in Jamshedpur on Tuesday. The ritual marks the auspicious full moon of the Jyeshtha month and sets into motion a series of key religious events leading up to the grand Rath Yatra.
Devotees thronged temples early in the morning to witness the divine bathing ceremony where the deities of Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra were ceremonially bathed with 108 pitchers filled with sanctified water, sandalwood paste, ghee, fruit juices and herbal decoctions. The Snan Purnima also included the offering of Chhappan Bhog (56 varieties of food) to the deities.
With the completion of the bathing ritual, all participating temples have now closed their sanctum doors for the traditional 15-day Anasara or symbolic seclusion period, during which the deities are believed to fall ill and recuperate. Ayurvedic treatments and herbal offerings will be symbolically administered during this period until Netra Utsav on June 26, after which the deities will reappear for public darshan before the annual Rath Yatra on June 27.
The Snan Purnima rituals were carried out with strict adherence to timing and tradition at various city temples including the Jagannath Temple in Khasmahal, Jugsalai Rath Gali, Namda Basti, Sakchi Utkal Association, Beldih and ISKCON Dhalbhum Club. Large gatherings of devotees witnessed the rituals, many of whom fasted and offered prayers.
A priest at Khasmahal Jagannath Temple stated, “The bathing ceremony purifies the soul of the devotees and marks the beginning of the most sacred part of the Jagannath calendar.”
Meanwhile, the ISKCON Temple in Golmuri is also witnessing a surge of devotees as it prepares for Panihati Chida-Dahi Mahotsav, which was celebrated on June 9, marking the beginning of spiritual celebrations ahead of Rath Yatra.
