Puri: The 500-year-old tradition of sweeping the Gundicha temple a day before the Rath Yatra by Gaudiya Vaishnavas, better known as followers of Lord Krishna and Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, still continues.
The devotees and Gaudiya Vaishnavas from Nabadwip in West Bengal take pleasure in sweeping the Gundicha temple.
“As per the Vaishnava belief, the Gundicha Yatra is considered a journey from Neelachal Dham to Sundaranchal Dham,” says culture researcher Surendra Kumar Mishra.
Before the arrival of the lords at Sundaranchal, the devotees sweep the temple premises, humming “Kali Asibe Mo Pranabandhu, Aji Kunja Sajao Go (My soul mate will arrive tomorrow, let us decorate the garden)”. The sweeping and the singing end at Aai Tota, adjacent to Sundaranchal.
As per tradition, after sweeping the temple and the Saradhabali, the Vaishnavas go to the mutt where Chaitanya Mahaprabhu used to take rest.
There they take holy bath at Indradyumna teertha and again return to Aai Tota to have Mahaprasad.
While the temple premises are neat and clean during the nine-day sojourn of the deities, the remaining period of the year they lies in neglect.
Before Rath Yatra, the practice of getting the premises of Gundicha temple cleaned was started by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu during his stay at Puri in 1520. Since then, the practice is being followed by his followers and other devotees.
As per practice, the Vaishnavas come in a procession from the mutt where Chaitanya Mahaprabhu used to stay to Jhanjapita mutt. There the Vaishnavas, who come from Nabdwip, welcome them and the two groups set out for Gundicha temple.
Legend has it that, after nine days of sojourn, the Gundicha temple remains neglected, making it a haunted place of ‘Babana Bhuta’.
Hence, a day before the arrival of the deities, the Vaishnavas, saints and devotees sweep the premises to get the spirit out of the temple.
PNN
