Lord Jagannath, siblings take shower, to fall sick for 15 days

Bhubaneswar: Over five lakh devotees on Friday witnessed the holy bathing of four idols of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra, Devi Subhadra and Lord

Sudarshan on snana mandap (bathing pandal) of Shree Jagannath Temple on the occasion of sacred Jyestha Purnima. The day is also known as Deva Snana Purnima.

The deities took shower with 108 pots of holy water blended with chandan (sandal), jaba (whole rice), haridra flowers, aguru, benachara, aromatic herbs and
perfumes on the snana mandap, situated to the northeast of Ananda Bazar, followed by all the rituals by the servitors and priests.

After taking huge showers with 108 pots of water during scorching summer, the deities, as per the customs, will fall sick like human beings. As part of their treatment by traditional baidyas (ayurvedic doctors), the idols will be kept in another place inside the temple instead of placing them on pedestal.

The devotees will not get darshan of the lords in the temple for a period of 15 days. The period is called Anasara.

Meanwhile, the Odisha government decided not to collect toll fee along the highway between Bhubaneswar and Puri during the annual rath yatra this year.