Puri: A day before the :Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath, thousands of devotees thronged Puri to witness the reappearance of sibling deities at the 12th-century shrine here on Thursday. They reached the ‘Singha Dwar’ (Lion’s Gate) of the temple before the sun rose to have a ‘Nabajouban darshan’ (youthful appearance) of Lord Balabhadra, Devi Subhadra and Lord Jagannath on the ‘Ratna Bedi’ (sacred platform in sanctum sanctorum). The deities appeared before the devotees after a fortnight.

The public ‘darshan’ of the sibling deities was stopped after bathing rituals on June 11. “It is believed that the deities do not appear before devotees as they fall ill after the bathing rituals. They remain in quarantine at ‘Anasar Ghar’ (isolation room) for a fortnight before Rath Yatra,” said Bhaskar Mishra, a researcher in the Jagannath culture.

According to a Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) official, the temple opened for devotees for ‘Nabajouban darshan’ from 8 am to 10.30 am. On the ‘Nabajouban Besha’, the sibling deities wear a special youthful dress, and the ritual is held to celebrate the rejuvenation of Lord Jagannath. The day is also referred to as “Netra Ustav” (eye-opening festival) when the eyes of the idols are painted. Designated servitors perform this ritual, which is a secret affair in the temple, Mishra said.

“The devotees were first allowed to go inside the temple for a ‘parmanik’ (paid) darshan, which was held between 8 am and 9 am, and the general public ‘darshan’ was conducted between 9 am and 10.30 am,” the SJTA official said, adding that later the doors were closed for the day.

The SJTA chief administration Arabinda Padhee said, “The ‘Nabajouban darshan’ has been completed smoothly with the support of all the servitors. We hope that the Rath Yatra will go smoothly.” During the day, the three chariots would be parked in front of the shrine’s main gate.

“They will be pulled from Rath Khada (chariot yards) in the afternoon. The rituals of parking the chariots will be performed,” the SJTA official said. The construction of three wooden chariots - ‘Taladhwaja’ (Lord Balabhadra’s chariot), ‘Debadalana’ of Devi Subhadra and ‘Nandighosha’ of Lord Jagannath has been completed and is ready to roll on the Grand Road on June 27.