Odisha: Snana Purnima rituals begin at Jagannath Puri; Know more about the auspicious festival

The Snana Purnima rituals have started in Puri with strong security on Sunday. The dear festival of many Odias are held in the full-moon day of the month of Jyestha (June-July).

Snana Purnima is the time when people are allowed to have the darshan of Lord Jagannath and his divine siblings at Snana Mandap at Shree Jagannath Temple. That day marks the birth anniversary of lord Jagannatha.

Pilgrims flock in large numbers to the temple due to the general belief that the devotee washes away all his sins if he gets a vision of the Lord on this day.

Once placed on the bathing platform, the deities are bathed with 108 pitchers of sacred water. Then, they are decked up in Gajanana Besha.

After the holy bath ritual, Lord Jagannatha and Lord Balaram are dressed like elephant, and Goddess Subhadra is dressed in a lotus flower vesha.

Soon after the ceremonial bath, the deities are believed to fall sick and therefore, go into a 15-day quarantine.

After a full fortnight of rest, they reappear to the public (Netrotsav) a day before Srigundicha. That would be the first day of the Rath Yatra.

Lord Jagannath is considered as an avatar of Lord Vishnu. The Jagannath Temple is one of the four pilgrimage destinations of the Hindu Char Dham Yatra pilgrimage.