TNI Bureau: Marking as the beginning of the Ratha Jatra, preparations are underway to take holy water from ‘Golden Well’ to Snana Mandap for bathing rituals of the deities on the occasion of Snana Purnima today.

The deities undergo ceremonial baths on the special bathing with 108 pitchers of sacred water.

Thousands of devotees have congregated at the pilgrim town to witness the bathing festival of the Trinities.

The sibling deities were escorted by the servitors from the Ratna Singhasana in a ritualistic procession. Mangala Aarti of deities held on the Snana Mandap.

During the bathing rituals, servitors bathe Lord Jagannath with 35 pots of water, Lord Balabhadra 33 pots, Devi Subhadra 22 & Shri Sudarsan with 18 pots of water (total 108 pots of water) blended with aromatic herbs, Sandal wood paste, Keshar and Karpur on the deities at the bathing altar (Snana Mandap).

The ‘Chera Pahanra’ will be conducted followed by the ‘Hathi Besha’.

The Trinities will fall sick with fever after having royal bathing. The deities will be brought to the temple and taken to a sick room or ‘Anasara Ghara’.

The deities will stay in quarantine period or Anasara for a period of fifteen days. The quarantine period will end on Ashadha Amavasya.