Puri, Jan 14: A Mahasnana, or holy bath, was conducted for the deities at the Srimandir today following an unscheduled ritual to restore the sanctity of the temple premises. The ritual was necessitated after a bloodstain was discovered near the ‘Jay Bijaya Dwara’ inside the temple, which compromised the purity of the sacred area.

The incident occurred on Makara Sankranti, after the completion of the Abakasha niti. A bloodstain was found near the Jay Bijaya Dwara, a prominent area of the temple, leading to an immediate suspension of darshan of the deities. In accordance with the temple's traditions, the ritual of Mahasnana was initiated to cleanse the temple and restore the deities' sanctity.

Temple customs dictate that if any unclean incident such as bleeding, vomiting, or other defilement, occurs between the Jay Bijaya Dwara and the Sanctum Sanctorum of the temple, the ongoing rituals must be halted. A Mahasnana is then performed to cleanse the temple and preserve its spiritual purity.

According to the temple’s longstanding traditions, if any servitor or devotee accidentally bleeds, or if an incident involving a small child, elderly person, or defecation occurs within the temple, the rituals of Lord Jagannath are immediately stopped. Following this, the sacred Mahasnana is performed to restore the sanctity of the temple and the deity’s worship.