Spiritual fervour gripped the pilgrim town of Puri on Saturday as the ceremonial public bath, known as the ‘Snana Jatra’ ceremony of Lord Jagannath and his siblings Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra, was witnessed by thousands of devotees from across Odisha and outside.

The ritual was performed on the bathing altar known as the ‘Snana Mandap’ as the priests poured 108 pitchers of aromatic sacred water on the deities.

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The water is traditionally drawn from a well situated inside the sprawling temple complex. Snana Jatra or Deva Snan Purnima holds immense significance in Jagannath cult as Lord Jagannath and his divine siblings are poured sacred water in presence of people.

The bathing ceremony followed a grand procession called ‘pahandi’ in which the deities along with the idol of ‘Sudarshan’ were taken out from the sanctum sanctorum to the bathing altar in a majestic manner.

After the bathing ritual, the deities were attired with ‘Gajanana Vesha’ (elephant dress). Lord Jagannath adorns the elephant attire to please his Maharastrian devotees who worship Lord Ganesh.

The ‘Snana Jatra’ is a significant ritual in the run-up to the annual ‘Rath Jatra’ festival of Lord Jagannath. It is held on the full moon day of the Hindu month of ‘Jyestha’, considered to be the birthday of Lord Jagannath.

According to the Skanda Purana, King Indradyumna, who had installed the wooden deities of the deities in the 12th century shrine, introduced the bathing ritual.

Elaborate arrangements were made for smooth conduct of the annual event and security personnel in strength have been deployed in and around the shrine. CCTV cameras have been installed to monitor the bathing ritual of the deities and movement of devotees, said a senior police official.

Patrolling by police personnel was stepped up and special steps were taken to regulate vehicular traffic for the event. Arrangements were made to enable the public to witness the ritual from behind barricades, official added.