Bhubaneswar, June 18: Following the traditional belief of “Yatha Dehi Tatha Debe” — meaning that rituals followed by humans are also observed for deities — the sacred wedding ceremony of Lord Lingaraj and Goddess Parvati will be performed on Thursday on the auspicious occasion of Guru Panchami.
The divine wedding will be conducted according to Vedic rituals and will be completed in four major phases — Mangalakrutya (auspicious rituals), the wedding ceremony, the return procession known as Sital Sasthi, and Chaturthi Homa.
As part of the pre-wedding rituals, the Mangalakrutya ceremony was held on Wednesday evening after the completion of the Sandhya Dhupa ritual. From the temple kitchen, 27 unused pots of Ghritanna (rice preparation made with ghee) out of 35 prepared pots were taken out in a ceremonial procession by the servitors.
The offerings were presented before the Ashta Chandi deities — Kapalini, Ramayani, Mohini, Vindhyabasini, Ambika, Gauri, Uttarayani and Dwarabasini — along with an invitation for the divine wedding. Two additional pots were also taken to Kapali Matha Chandi and Akhada Chandi, informed Brahmin Nijog president Narayan Mahapatra.
The main wedding ceremony will begin on Thursday evening after the Sandhya Dhupa ritual. Lord Lingaraj will proceed alone in a beautifully decorated chariot-like structure, while Goddess Parvati and Lord Basudev will travel in a palanquin.
After completion of all temple rituals, including the Bada Singhar and Pahuda rituals, the wedding procession will begin at around 11 pm.
The groom’s procession will pass through Mahakhala, Badheibanka, Bada Danda and Bindu Sagar Bishram Ghat before reaching the Kedar Gouri Temple, where the bride’s side will welcome Lord Lingaraj.
The wedding guests will be traditionally welcomed with towels, sweets and refreshments. Goddess Parvati will be given a ceremonial bath with Baduapani, dressed in a special Baulapat attire and adorned as a bride before being taken to the wedding pavilion.
The sacred wedding rituals, including the tying of the wedding knot, are expected to conclude by around 3:45 am. This will be followed by traditional rituals such as the Kaudi Khela, post-wedding bath, meeting ceremony and offering of food before the deities rest.
On Friday, devotees will get an opportunity for the darshan of the newlywed divine couple throughout the day.
The Kedar Gouri Temple will also witness continuous chanting of Lord’s name through the Ashta Prahari Nama Yajna organised by the temple committee. A community feast will be arranged for devotees in the evening.
This year, the departure ceremony of Goddess Parvati will take place earlier than usual. At around 10 pm, after the traditional Kanak Anjali ritual, the newlywed divine couple will begin their return procession — known as Sital Sasthi — towards the Lingaraj Temple.
According to Kedar Gouri Temple secretary Lulu Mahapatra, the bride’s side will present an Airavata elephant as part of the traditional gifts.
Servitors of both temples are jointly working to ensure the smooth and successful completion of the historic divine wedding celebrations.
