lakhs of devotees thronged Puri on Thursday to witness the holy bath of lord Jagannath, lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra along with Sudarshan on the Snana Mandap (bathing pandal) of the Shreemandir on the sacred occasion of Deva Snana Purnima on Jyestha Purnima day.
In the morning, the idols were brought out from the Ratna Bedi (inner sanctum of the temple) to the Snana Mandap by servitors in Pahandi, a traditional procession.
As per the rituals, the servitors bathed the deities with 108 pitchers of aromatic water. After the heavy bath, it was believed that the deities suffered from cold and fever.
The idols were then kept away from public view for fifteen days at the Anansara Ghara for treatment, for which specific rituals would be performed. This period of isolation is called Anasara, which means improper time for worship.
The devotees will not get darshan of the lords in the temple for a period of 15 days and all the daily rituals of the temple will remain suspended during the period.
On the 16th day, the idols in their youthful forms will be made ready for public view. The first appearance of the deities after the bathing festival is called Netrotsaba or Naba Jaubana Darshan.
The temple administration has issued a set of guidelines for the servitors to be followed during the festival. No unauthorised person will be allowed to touch the deities while the servitors will not lean on the arms of the deities.