Puri, June 22: Snana Yatra or Deva Snana Purnima, the royal bath of deities- Lord Balabhadra, Lord Jagannath and Devi Subhadra is underway at Puri Srimandir today.

Amid chants of Jai Jagannath, and beat of ghantas, drums, bugles and cymbals, Holy trinity will be ushered to Snana Mandap in elaborate Pahandi for bathing rituals.

The rituals began at around 5:30 am.

It is observed on the full moon day (Purnima) of the Hindu month of Jyeshtha, which typically falls in the month of June.

On this occasion, the deities are taken out in a traditional procession called ‘Goti Pahandi’ from the sanctum sanctorum to the Snana bedi or the bathing altar, located in the northeast corner of the Bahara Bedha.

This is the first festival when Lord Jagannath and his siblings are brought out of the sanctum sanctorum.

A sea of devotees throng pilgrim town Puri to have darshan of Lord Jagannath and His siblings on the occasion of Snana Purnima.

Atop the ‘Snana Bedi’, the deities are given a ceremonial bath with 108 pots of purified water.

As per the tradition, 35 pots of water are used for the bathing of Lord Jagannath, 33 pots of water for Balabhadra, 22 for Devi Subhadra and 18 pots of water for Lord Sudarshan.

The ritual, also known as ‘Jalabhishek’, is performed amid chanting of Vedic mantras, kirtan, beating of gongs and blowing of conch shells. Then Puri King Gajapati Dibyasingha Deb, the first servitor of Lord Jagannath, performs the Chhera Panhara ritual on the bathing altar.

Thereafter, the ‘Hati Besha’, also known as ‘Gajanana Besha’, will be conducted.

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