The Great Bathing Rituals of the Trinity, The Maha Snana Of the Trinity
The Snana Jatra, is the bathing festival of deities celebrated on the purnima (full moon day) of the Hindu month of Jyeshtha. It is the auspicious birthday of Lord Jagannath. It is a sacred festival for Hindus. This is the first occasion in the year as per the Hindu calendar, when the deities Jagannath, Balabhadra, Subhadra, Sudarshana, and Madanmohana are brought out from the Jagannath Temple and taken in a procession to the Snana Bedi. The Brahma Purana, Skanda Purana, Padma Purana, Bamdev Samhita, Niladri Mahadaya and Yatra Bhagavat etc have described in detail about this bathing journey. The first journey among them is the bathing journey, every year; the first full moon is called the Bathing ritual of Lord jagannath. On the day of the Snana Yatra, the deities are bathed with 108 pots, of ritually purified water drawn from the northern well of the temple to the accompaniment of religious incantations. It is a belief among devotees of Lord Jagannath that if they make a pilgrimage to see the deity on this day, they would be cleansed of all of their sins. Thousands of devotees visit the temple on the occasion. The Skanda Purana mentions that King Indradyumna arranged this ceremony for the first time when the idols of the deities were first installed.
According to the scriptures, for the Lord’s bath, the holy water of all the shrines in India was collected and kept in a golden bowl. But in course of time, the water collected in the said golden vessel was immersed in the well in front of the temple of Devi Sitala Thakurani. The lords are covered in silken cloth ahead of the ceremonial bath. Sandal wood paste, camphor, saffron and chua are, mixed with the holy water stored from the golden well near Devi shtiala temple. 108 earthen vessels, there is a tradition to bathe the elder Thakur Balabhadra with 33 pitchers, Devi Subhadra with 22 pitchers, lord jagannath with 35 earthen vessels and Sudarshan with 18 pots of water. In fact, the significance of this bathing journey is more than any other journey. Lord Balabhadra,Mahaprabhu Jagannath and Devi subhadra were brought out from inner sanctum in ceremonial pahandi. Here is the first glimpse of the trinity after they were placed on Sanan Mandap for the grand bathing rituals. Because it has been described in the scriptures by the creator lord Brahma that the benefits of devotees who see the Lord’s bathing principle on Devasnan Purnima with devotion are indescribable than the fruit of seeing the Lord at the time of solar eclipse. Foremost among the deities is Lord Gajanan, So Adyabesha in the initial journey is the Lord’s glory during the various festivals of the year, the Gajanan Besha or Hati Besa introduces the Lord to countless devotees at the bathing mandap to fulfil the desires of the countless devotee. On the eve of the Snana Yatra, the idols of the deities are brought out in a grand procession from the Garbhagriha (sanctum sanctorum) to the Snana Bedi (bathing platform). Procession is with chanting mantras and sound of Ghantas, drums, bugles and cymbals. Later during the night, the three main deities retire to the ‘Anasar’ House, located in the temple. During the ‘Anasara’ period, the devotees cannot see their Gods. According to the Hindu legends, it is believed that during the ritualistic Snana Yatra, the deities get fever and take 15 days solitary confinement. These days they take rest and medicine as like normal human beings. After getting well, the deities then appear for public viewing after 15 days, that is, the day just before the famous Rath Yatra. Behold the grand spectacles of Hati Besa of Lord Jagannath and his siblings at the Snana Bedi in puri Sri mandir, the trinity watching over the world with protective eyes. During these Anasara period the devotees flew to darshan Sri Alarnatha at Brahmagiri.
Mrs. Shanta Das, Activist and Social Worker,
