As per tradition, Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra and Goddess Subhadra catch fever after ritualistic bath ‘Snana Yatra’. During this time, they are worshiped in secret by Daitapatis and Raj Vaidya in ‘Anasara Ghara’. However, devotees worship their artistic representations in ‘Patti Dians’
BHUBANESWAR: Artistes of Balasore are all set to kick start ‘Patti Dian Ankan Utsav’, a unique celebration of Jagannath cult, in Balasore soon.
The festivities coincide with ‘Snana Yatra’ of Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra with 108 pitches of water. As per tradition, the Lords catch fever after the ritualistic bath fever for which they are worshiped by Daitapatis and Raj Vaidya in Anasara Ghara secretly.
At this time Patti Dians are worshiped in the Jagannath Temple at Puri. In the Jagannath temples of North Odisha, the tradition was introduced by artiste Kesudas. He organises a 6-day camp of Patti Dian Ankan Utsav, where he personally teaches the skill of crafting Patti Dians to the participants.
The festivity will kick start from June 12 at Balasore Nocci Centre. Several artistes held meets to make the event a successful one. During the ‘Anasar’ period, devotees worship the paintings of their Gods which are hung in the temple as substitutes. The painting of Ananta Narayan represents Lord Jagannath, Ananta Basudev represents Lord Balabhadra and Bhubaneswari represents Goddess Subhadra.
These painting are made on cloth, which in local language is called patta, the painting is called pattachitra, which means painting on cloth. Pattachitra is linked to Lord Jagannath temple, Puri. Preparation for the making of Anasara Patti begins on the occasion of Akshyaya Tritiya.
On this day, an artiste receives a piece of cloth from the temple administration to prepare a canvas. When he completes the painting, the family priest comes to his house to perform a puja of the Patti in the presence of all his family members.
A day after the worship, a priest from the Jagannath Temple accompanied by people carrying ghanta (gong), chalti (ritual umbrella), and kahali (pipe) comes to his house with a garland to perform another ritualistic worship.
The ‘Anasara Patti’ is then rolled and tied with a piece of black cloth. It is then carried to the Jagannath Temple by the artiste in a ceremonial procession. The tradition of Anasara Pati goes back to the time of King Anangabhima Deva, who ruled Orissa between 1190 and 1198 AD.
This is evident in the chronicle of Jagannath Temple – the Madala Panji. This Jagannath cult is celebrated in few Jagannath temples along with Puri Jagannath temple. However, more than 3,000 Jagannath temples in India and abroad do not celebrate this tradition.
Baleswari Kala Kendra, a cultural organisation, has endeavoured to popularise Lord Jagannath’s culture and tradition through the festival since the ‘Nabakalebara’ ceremony of 2015 at Utkalaa Silpagram. The event will take place at NOCCI Business Park, Bampada, Balasore with the support of Jagannath temples and devotees from across the state.
