The Nava-kalevera ceremony at Lord Jagannath temple
Can I climb the Ratha and touch Jagannath?
Ratha Yatra Preparations at Jagannath Puri
Thousands of devotees waited patiently for ‘Pahili Bhoga’ (first offering) of the Trinity in Odisha’ pilgrim town of Puri on the occasion of Dhanu Sankranti on Tuesday.
The special offering came out of the Jagannath Temple more than an
hour behind schedule. But that did not deter devotees from eagerly
waiting for their share.
On this special day, mother Yashoda cooks for Lord Jagannath, brother
Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra, the presiding deities of Puri, in the
absence of goddess Laxmi on this special occasion during the lunar
Pousha in the Hindu almanac.
“Pahili Bhoga”, the morning offering which started on Tuesday, will
continue till Makar Sankranti day on January 13, 2015. Dhanu Muan, a
sweet offering, is part of the menu of the deities during this month.
During the month-long festivity, mahaprasad, the cooked offerings,
becomes more attractive and sought after. The menu list becomes large
with addition of various mouth-watering dishes. Cakes made of blackgram
and curd based preparations are also added t the menu during this
period. Apples, oranges, grapes are added to the curd and in another
dish carrots are mixed.
A remarkable feature of this period is that bhog is available early.
This early day meal is known as “Pahili Bhoga” which is offered to the
deities soon after the breakfast.
According to Hindu mythology, goddess Laxmi, who cooks food for Him,
leaves for her parent’s place. So in her absence, mother Yashoda
prepares food for her offsprings. Several special rituals are followed
during this period.
For smooth conduct of the rituals, the temple administration, neeti
sub committee, Chhatisa Niyog and management committee work in tandem.
As per temple administration sources, the parimanik darshan of the deities will be suspended on 31st December and 1st January.
In view of Christmas and New Year celebrations, the tourist inflow to
the holy city shows an upward trend every year. This year also,
footfall is expected to maintain the momentum.
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