The homecoming festival of lord Jagannath began here on Monday with temples making elaborate arrangements to receive the deities. While the lord Jagannath of Jagannath temple at Gayatri Nagar is returning home, the homecoming of lord Jagannath of the temple at Tuti Hatri will commence on the auspicious day of ‘Ekadashi’.
The three deities - lord Jagannath, brother Balabhadra and sister Subhadra - of the temple at Sadar Bazar will return home on Thursday. It may be worth mentioning that the Jagannath temple at Gayatri Nagar celebrate the Ratha Yatra and home coming festival or Bahuda Yatra in the lines of that of Puri in Odisha, the origin of the festival. Priests and temple management committees had already made elaborate preparation for the home coming of the god a day earlier.Similarly in the Jagannath temple located at Tuti Hatri the God will return on Thursday.
Temple priest Ram Balak Das said the deity would be brought back to his abode on ‘Ekadashi’ day as per tradition. At present lord Jagannath, brother Balabhadra and sister Subhadra have been staying in their aunt’s house at Janakpur located in Tillu Chowk, he said. Prior to the return of the deities, a fire ritual would be performed. After their return to the temple, massive prayer would be organised, he said. lord Jagannath will return home at the Jagannath temple at Sadar Bazar on Thursday. Giving information on the home coming festival, temple priest Toran Pujari said as per temple custom, the God returns to his abode here a day before the full moon day.