Puri, Jul 9: The sacred Pahuda ritual of Lord Jagannath has remained suspended for 184 consecutive hours, marking seven continuous days without the deities being ceremonially put to rest at the Shree Jagannath Temple in Puri. As of 12:05 am on Wednesday, the ritual had not been performed, reflecting the unique sequence of rituals observed during the annual Anasara period.

The last Pahuda ritual was performed following the Anasara services of June 30, concluding at around 5 am the next morning, after which the temple doors reopened at 8:05 am on July 1. Since then, the deities have not undergone the customary night-rest ritual. Owing to the elaborate rituals associated with Snana Purnima on June 29 and the ongoing Anasara observances, the deities have been put to rest only once during the ten-day period.

On Wednesday, temple rituals also witnessed considerable delays. Tuesday night's Badasinghara Bhoga concluded only at 4:50 am, leaving no time for the Pahuda ritual before the commencement of the next day's schedule. Consequently, the Mangala Alati ritual began at 8:20 am, followed by Abakasha Puja at 8:50 am and Gopal Ballav Bhoga at 1:05 pm. The Sakala Dhupa offering concluded around 2:30 pm, while the first Bhoga Mandap ritual ended at 3:50 pm.

As a result of the delayed rituals, devotees had to wait until after 4 pm to receive Abhada Mahaprasad, with many remaining inside the temple premises long after completing darshan to partake in the sacred offering.

During the Anasara period, the principal deities remain inside the Anasara Ghara, where the Daita servitors continue the traditional healing rituals, symbolising the Lord's recovery from illness following the ceremonial bathing festival. Medicinal herbal paste, known as Osha, prepared using sesame oil and aromatic resin by designated servitors, is being applied daily to the deities' sacred bodies.

The ritual sequence also includes the application of Phuluri oil, followed by repeated herbal treatment and wet cloth therapy to reduce the divine "fever," symbolising the Lord's human-like pastimes. The secret night rituals are performed exclusively by the Daita servitors inside the Anasara chamber.

On Dashami, the deities will undergo the Chaka Bije ritual, marking another significant stage of the Anasara ceremonies. The traditional Dashamula herbal medicine is expected to arrive at the temple on Friday and will be ceremonially offered to the deities on Ekadashi as part of the healing rituals.

Although the usual crowds are relatively smaller during Anasara, a steady stream of devotees continues to visit the temple to offer prayers before the Dashavatara idols, partake in Mahaprasad, and witness the preparations for the annual Rath Yatra. Devotees also consider the Anasara rituals a profound expression of Lord Jagannath's unique human-like divine pastimes, making the period spiritually significant despite the temporary absence of public darshan of the main deities.