'Hathi Besha'of Lord Jagannath & siblings

Puri: The 'Snana Purnima' rituals of Lord Jagannath and sibling are completed at Jagannath Temple, Puri. 'Snana Yatra', also known as 'Deba Snana Purnima', is a ceremonial bath ceremony of the sibling deities held on Purnima (full moon day) of Jyestha month.

On Tuesday a sea of devotees thronged Puri to have 'darshan' of Lord Jagannath and His siblings. For the first time devotees are allowed for darshan on Snana Mandap from a close distance.

As per the tradition, Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra are escorted from the sanctum sanctorum to the Snana Mandap (bathing altar) in a 'Pahandi' (procession). The mandap is an elevated platform on the temple premises facing east overlooking the Bada Danda.

To bear the stress during the procession, the deities are made to wear 'Senapatta', a body armour made of 'Baula' wood, by the Daitapatis who take charge of the deities from regular priests.

The tradition of decking up Lord Jagannath and Balabhadra in Gajanan or Hati Besha after the ceremonial bath can be traced to the Hindu belief of beginning every religious rite with a worship of Lord Ganesh.

The ceremony leads to the annual Rath Yatra. Before Hati Besha, it is time for Snana Yatra when the sibling deities are escorted from the sanctum sanctorum to the Snana Mandap (bathing altar) in a 'Pahandi' (procession) after 'Mangal Arati'. On the mandap they are given a ritualistic bath after the sevayats perform a complex set of rituals.