An unusual incident at the revered Shree Jagannath Temple in Puri led to the immediate performance of the Maha Snan ritual and a delay in the scheduled Paita Lagi Niti of the temple deities.

According to reports, a jawan on duty at the temple sustained a foot injury from broken glass within the premises, resulting in blood stains on the sacred temple grounds. Following long-standing traditions meant to uphold the sanctity of the site, temple priests swiftly initiated the Maha Snan — a ritualistic bathing of the deities — right after the morning Abakash Niti.

Significance of Maha Snan

Maha Snan is a critical purification ceremony conducted when the spiritual purity of the temple is believed to be disturbed. In this ritual, the idols of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra, and Devi Subhadra are ceremonially bathed to restore their divine sanctity.

During Maha Snan, the temple remains closed to devotees, and darshan is suspended. Consequently, public entry was restricted throughout the day and will remain so today as the postponed Paita Lagi Niti takes place.

Delay in Paita Lagi Niti

The Puri temple administration had earlier announced the temple's closure for devotees between 5 PM and 10 PM for the Paita Lagi Niti — a sacred and confidential ritual where the deities are adorned with sandalwood paste and draped in the 'Basunga Patta,' a special silk cloth. This ritual is traditionally performed by the Daitapati servitors after the second Bhog Mandap meal.

However, due to the extended Maha Snan process, the Paita Lagi Niti is now expected to be delayed by a few hours. “The Maha Snan takes around 1.5 to 2 hours due to the elaborate purification procedures. Hence, the Paita Lagi Niti will likely be pushed back by a couple of hours,” informed Daitapati servitor Binayak Das Mahapatra.