Puri: Lord Jagannath and his siblings Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra would be offered delicious drink on their respective chariots as part of the Adharapana ritual Friday.
The ritual would be performed without the congregation of devotees, in accordance with the Covid-19 restrictions, on the Grand Road, said an official of Srimandir administration.
As per Srimandir tradition, the special drink would be offered to the deities in nine cylindrical earthen pots reaching up to their lips, therefore earning the ritual the name of Adharapana.
According to researcher Naresh Chandra Dash, earlier the sweet drink used to be offered to the deities in 12 pots – three on Bahuda Dashami, three on Ekadashi, three on Dwadashi, two for Ram and Krushna on Lord Balabhadra’s chariot and one pot for Madan Mohan on Lord Jagannath’s chariot.
Nowadays, the drink is being offered in nine pots, three pots for each deity, on a single day, Dash said.
Authorities of Raghab Das Mutt, Badaodia Mutt and the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) each supply three pots and the ingredients for the preparation of the sweet drink.
As per the tradition, process for the Adharapana ritual begins immediately after the completion of Madhhyahna Dhoopa.
Cheese, milk, sugar, banana, camphor, nuts, black pepper and extracts from holy basil are kept on each chariot. Then three earthen pots reaching up to the lips of the deities are kept on each chariot.
Mahasuara servitors prepare the drink by mixing the ingredients with the holy water collected from a well in front of Chhauni Mutt near the Lions’ Gate of Srimandir.
Patribadu, Suarabadu and Garabadu servitors perform the puja on the three chariots. A Bhog is then offered to the deities by Palia Pujapanda servitors. After the Bhog is offered, the pots are broken before the deities and the drink is spilled away on the chariots.
It is believed that the spillover drink is for the subsidiary deities placed on the chariots, evil spirits and ghostly bodies. “The evil spirits are satiated once they consume the Adharapana. Therefore, devotees are forbidden to partake the drink,” Dash said.