This year BGIS has celebrated Jagannath Snan Yatra festival with great pomp and vigour.
Published On: 2022-06-15
A special bath of Jagannath takes place on the Purnima of Jyestha month, to commemorate the appearance day of Lord Jagannath.
This auspicious morning started with special Class on Lord Jagannath by HG Radhakant prabhu and HG Dhruv Maharaj prabhu where they discussed about the auspicious appearance of Lord Jagannath. Also prabhuji explained beautifully about the speciality of these deities which was left unfinished because of the eagerness of King Indradyumna to check the developments of deities. The king kept wondering why the limbs of the deities were left incomplete. And surprisingly, the craftsman had also disappeared.
Then there was a discussion of the history behind the appearance of Beautiful Neel Madhav deity, followed by the importance of Snan Purnima festival.
There was a Grand bathing festival (Abhishek) of Lord Jagannath Baladev and Subhadra Maharani with milk, ghee, honey, curd accompanied by the chanting of vedic mantras, kirtan and blowing of conch shells.
After this bathing ceremony, to keep a wonderful mood of seeing the Lord in an uplifting manner the Lord arranged for the Hati Vesha festival where Lord Jagannatha and Lord Balaram then put on the elephant dress; Hati Vesha, and Subhadra Maharani wears a lotus flower vesha.
They looked stunningly beautiful with this new form.
According to the scriptures after this bathing ceremony gets over, Lord Jagannath fall sick and the deities are kept away from darshan for fifteen days and during all these days the daily rites of the temple remain suspended. As Jagannatha himself instructed, after this ceremony, he is not seen for a fortnight.
On the 16th day the Deities in their new forms after renovation will become ready for the darshan.
The festival of the first appearance of the Lord Jagannath to his devotees is called Netrotsava (festival for the eyes) or Nava Yauvanotsava.
This Grand Birthday celebration of Lord Jagannath ended up with big feast prasadam.
