Thousands witness reappearance of Lord Jagannath ahead of Rath Yatra

A day before the Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath, thousands of devotees on Thursday thronged Odisha's Puri to witness the reappearance of sibling deities at the 12th-century shrine in Puri.

They reached the 'Singha Dwar' (Lion’s Gate) of the temple much before the sun rose to have a 'Nabajouban darshan' (youthful appearance) of the Lord Balabhadra, Devi Subhadra and Lord Jagannath on the ‘Ratna Bedi’ (sacred platform in sanctum sanctorum).

The deities appear 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 Darsan' 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 to 10.30 am," the SJTA official said, adding that later the doors were closed for the day.

SJTA chief administration Arabinda Padhee said, "The 'Nabajouban Darsan' 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- 'Taladwaja' (Lord Balabhadra’s chariot), 'Debadalan' of Devi Subhadra and 'Nandighosh' of Lord Jagannath has been completed and is ready to roll on the Grand Road on June 27.

On the occasion of the Rath Yatra, a massive deployment of 10,000 security personnel, comprising those in the Odisha Police and jawans of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF), has been made.

For the first time, commandos of the National Security Guards (NSG) have also been deployed for the festival.

“NSG personnel will keep a watch on the festival from rooftops while around 275 AI-enabled cameras are placed at strategic positions in Puri town for the mega event," Odisha DGP Y B Khurania said, adding that special plans are chalked out for crowd management, traffic control, health services and other amenities.

Adequate security arrangements have also been made in and around the Sri Gundicha temple, the place where the chariots with deities on board will be taken and parked for a week, the DGP said.

Personnel of Odisha marine police, Coast Guard and Indian Navy have also been deployed to ensure coastal security.