Puri: The Jagannath temple in Puri will be closed for five hours Friday for a special ritual on the occasion of Janmashtami when the Lord, assuming a maternal persona, will give birth to Sri Krishna.
The temple authorities said in a statement Thursday that public darshan will remain suspended from 7 pm to 12 midnight September 4.
On the eve of that, Lord Jagannath is offered ‘Jeuta Bhog’, a special medicinal food meant for reducing labour pain, according to an expert.
Lord Jagannath is considered the mother of all 10 ‘avtars’ of Lord Vishnu, including Sri Krishna, Sri Ram and Lord Balaram, according to a scholar.
“The Lord is offered Jeuta Bhog the night before Sri Ram Navami and also on the eve of Janmashtami. He is worshipped as the Maha Vishnu, the Supreme Lord,” said Dr Bhaskar Mishra, a researcher in Shree Jagannath culture.
Mishra said the Jeuta Bhog is offered before the main doors of the temple are closed at night.
“A special aarti is also performed to Lord Jagannath after the offering of Jeuta Bhog, as He is pregnant with Sri Krishna,” said Pandit Suryanarayan Rathsharma, an authority in Jagannath culture.
“Lord Jagannath is Maha Vishnu and creator of all his avatars. He is both male and female and worshipped as the origin of this universe from whom all take birth,” Gajapati Maharaja Dibyasingha Deb, the titular king of Puri, said.
Therefore, the birthdays of all 10 avatars are celebrated in the 12th-century shrine, he said.
“Krushna Janma Niti will be performed at Shree Jagannatha Temple. Accordingly, public darshan will remain temporarily suspended from approximately 7 pm to 12 midnight,” a notice issued by the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) said.
While Janmashtami rituals will be observed at the shrine September 4, the celebrations will continue the next day with Nandotsav, marking the beginning of the traditional Krishna Leela rituals.