What Happens After the Grand Bathing Ceremony of Lord Jagannath? Insights from Puri's Deva Snana Purnima

Deva Snana Purnima: A Sacred Tradition in Puri

Puri: Following the public viewing known as ‘Sahan Mela’, the sibling deities were returned to the inner sanctum of the ancient 12th-century temple and placed in the ‘Anasara Ghar’ (isolation room). They will remain there for a period of 14 days to recuperate after their ceremonial bath. During this time, the temple's physician will administer herbal treatments to the deities. Public access to the temple will be halted until June 26, just a day prior to the annual Rath Yatra on June 27. The ‘Deva Snana Purnima’ festival, celebrated on the full moon day of the month of ‘Jyestha’, marks the first time this year that the wooden idols are paraded out of the sanctum for a grand ceremonial bath, which also coincides with the birthday of Lord Jagannath.

According to the Skanda Purana, this ritual was established by King Indradyumna, who was responsible for installing the wooden deities in the temple. After the bathing ceremony, the titular king of Puri, Gajapati Maharaja Dibyasingha Deb, performed the traditional ‘Chhera Panhara’ (sweeping) ritual at the Snana Mandap. Following the bath, the deities were adorned in ‘Sada Besha’ (plain attire) and later in ‘Hati Besha’ (elephant attire, reminiscent of Lord Ganesha). Lord Jagannath was dressed as a black elephant, while Lord Balabhadra appeared as a white elephant, and Goddess Subhadra was adorned in Kumari Besha. The materials for the attire were provided by Raghav Das Mutt and Gopaltirtha Mutt, adhering to a long-standing tradition, as noted by Jagannath culture researcher Bhaskar Mishra.

On this significant occasion, security measures were heightened in Puri, with the deployment of 70 platoons (each consisting of 30 personnel) and 450 officers, according to SP Vinit Agarwal. “Thousands of devotees gathered to witness the bathing ritual, for which extensive arrangements were made for crowd management, traffic control, and overall safety,” the SP stated. Barricades were set up to facilitate the smooth flow of devotees during the ceremonial bathing. For the first time, police utilized AI-based surveillance cameras linked to a new integrated control room for real-time monitoring. Puri district collector Siddharth Swain remarked, “The administration ensured all necessary arrangements, including shade and medical assistance for devotees, with the fire department also on standby.” All departments worked together to minimize any discomfort for the devotees attending the darshan of Lord Jagannath.