Puri: Lord Jagannath and his siblings Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra are all set to return to the Ratnabedi (bejewelled throne) at the sanctum sanctorum of Srimandir on the occasion of Niladribije Saturday.
The annual Car Festival of Srimandir deities will culminate with the reinstallation of the deities on the Ratnabedi Saturday, said an official of the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA).
Devotees would have the opportunity to get Mahaprasad from Sunday onwards. However, the 12th century shrine would remain shut for people due to the Covid-19 restrictions, added the official.
The temple administration has made all arrangements for reinstallation of deities at the sanctum sanctorum.
As per the tradition, the Srimandir deities travel to the Srigundicha temple for an annual sojourn on the occasion of Rath Yatra.
They return to the Lions’ Gate of Srimandir on the occasion of Bahuda Yatra (return Car Festival) and spend three days on their respective chariots.
The deities are adorned with gold ornaments in a unique ritual called ‘Suna Besha’ and offered a delicious drink called Adharapana on their respective chariots at the Lions’ Gate. They return to the sanctum sanctorum on the occasion of Niladribije.
“The deities would be taken to the sanctum sanctorum through Pahandi procession. As per the schedule, the Pahandi procession will start by 4pm Saturday,” said the official.
Ahead of the Niladribije ritual, authorities of Bada Odia mutt would sanctify the Ratnasinghasan and hang a specially-made canopy called ‘Kanakmundi Chandua’ on it.
The mutt authorities would also raise a Dhwaja (flag) atop the Neelachakra wheel of Srimandir.
“Bada Odia mutt has been sanctifying Srimandir Ratnasinghasan since the reign of Gajapati king Prataprudra Dev. We use sandalwood paste, camphor, musk and some other aromatic substances to sanctify the throne. The whole process usually takes at least two hours,” said Bada Odia mutt pontiff Bansidhar Das Goswami.
The pontiff further revealed that they have prepared a special canopy for the Ratnabedi.
Notably, this year’s Rath Yatra, Bahuda Yatra, Suna Besha and Adharapana rituals were conducted without the congregation of deities due to the Covid-19 restrictions.