Puri, AP 23: The daily rituals at Jagannath Temple in Puri were delayed as the Maha Snana, a grand purification bath ceremony, of Lord Jagannath and his siblings Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra was conducted following the finding of blood stains near Bhitara Katha on Tuesday.
Sources said, the morning rituals faced a setback when blood was noticed near Bhitara Katha after a group of women from servitors' families entered the temple to seek darshan of Lord Jagannath and his siblings upon the opening of the Lions' Gate at 5:21 am today.
The daily rituals were paused in adherence to tradition, and the Maha Snana ceremony was conducted. It is suspected that a woman sustained an injury while entering Bhitara Katha.
Temple authorities clarified that the Maha Snana ritual does not involve bathing the deities. Instead, water is poured on mirrors placed before the idols of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra, and Devi Subhadra, accompanied by the recitation of sacred hymns (mantras).
The Maha Snana ceremony, along with the subsequent cleansing ritual known as 'Sodha,' is performed on various occasions, including incidents such as a child urinating inside the temple, vomiting incidents, detection of blood stains, the demise of an animal or a human within the temple premises, the presence of a dog inside the temple premises, or the discovery of a skull or skeleton within the temple complex.
