Snan Purnima Passes off Peacefully

BY: SUN STAFF CORRESPONDENT

ISKCON devotees perform bathing ritual of Deities at Bhubaneswar
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Jun 07, JAGANNATHA PURI, ORISSA — Jagannatha Puri was packed tightly, as all roads led to Puri on the occasion of Snan Purnima on Sunday, where the presiding sibling Deities of Jagannath Temple were given a “ceremonial bath”. Despite a long delay in the performance of the scheduled rituals of the Lord, the curious devotees waited with baited breath to watch Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra bathing on the shrine’s snan mandap (bathing altar).

Being that it was the last day to have a glimpse of the Deities till Rath Yara (which is on June 24), scores of pilgrims thronged to witness the bathing ceremony as well as the Lord’s Gajanan Besha. For a fortnight, the Deities will remain off-limits to devotees.

Pilgrims watch bathing ritual of Deities
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Priests fetched water in 108 pitchers from the shrine’s suna kua (well) and poured it on the heads of the Deities amid chants of ‘Jai Jagannath’, ‘Jai Balaram’, ‘Jai Subhadra’ and ‘Hare Krsna Hare Rama’ by devotees.

A number of ISKCON devotees were present since early morning till night near Jagannath Temple. “One’s sin can be wiped out by watching the three Deities on the bathing dais. I also did not want to miss the opportunity,” said 67 year-old Bhakta Abatar das, an ISKCON devotee from Holland. “This was my maiden visit to Puri to be part of Snan Purnima. I would stay here till the end of Rath Yatra,” said the foreign devotee, who was seen serenading on Grand Road facing the 12th century shrine.

ISKCON devotees perform bathing ritual of Deities at Bhubaneswar
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This time the convergence of pilgrims was more than the last year’s Snan Purnima, in which the flash floods had played spoilsport. Not many people could turn up at the event thanks to cancellation of a number of long distance trains due to the clogged tracks last year. “Pleasant weather and smooth communication propelled scores of devotees to visit Puri. The Snan Purnima went of peacefully. The district administration made all arrangements for the convenience of pilgrims,” a temple official said. Meanwhile, Puri, which is often visited by VIPs on any given day, did not see any elite pilgrim or minister pay visit to the temple till late evening.

Prabhu Jagannath, Prabhu Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra on bathing altar in Puri
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