Puri, July 9: The sacred Niladri Bije ritual concluded on a grand note as Lord Jagannath, along with Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra, returned to the Shree Jagannath Temple in Puri after the annual Rath Yatra.

Following a 13-day stay at Gundicha Temple, the deities arrived back at Srimandir and were placed on the Ratna Singhasana amid chants and traditional rituals. The pahandi ceremony, which involves carrying the idols into the temple, began and ended later than expected, causing a delay of nearly three hours.

Despite the delay, the entire process was completed in a spiritual atmosphere with thousands of devotees watching with devotion. Inside the temple, rituals such as the Charamala fitting and other traditional procedures were carried out. Before the deities returned to the sanctum, the symbolic Lakshmi-Narayana meeting and the Bachanika Patha were also performed.

With the completion of all rituals, the deities were formally reinstalled in the sanctum, allowing devotees to once again have darshan from today onwards. Pilgrims are expected to flock to Srimandir to witness the deities and partake in the Nilachal Abhada, the sacred Mahaprasad, as the spiritual atmosphere continues to uplift hearts in Puri.