Puri: Devotees in large numbers visit Alarnath Temple, situated 23 km westward along the Puri-Satpara National Highway, every day to have darshan of the presiding deity Alarnath Deb and to taste the ‘kheer’ prasad.
According to popular belief, during the anasara period, when darshan of Lord Jagannath and his siblings is not possible in the main temple as the deities remain in the Anasarghar (sick house) for a fortnight, Lord Jagannath manifests in Alarnath Dev.
Sri Chaitanya Dev, the founder of the Krishna cult, elaborately mentioned in his writings that he visualized the manifestation of Lord Jagannath in Alarnath. In 1610 AD, Sri Chaitanya Dev, along with his followers, camped there for years worshipping the deity. The small temple became a place of pilgrimage during the anasara period of the presiding deities of the Sri Jagannath Temple.
A handful of temple servitors work hard to prepare huge quantities of kheer to be offered to the deity and then sold to devotees. The kheer is prepared with buffalo milk, and a variety of sweeteners are added to make it tasty.
Sources say that every day, over ten to fifteen thousand liters of buffalo milk, are used to prepare the kheer, which is offered to the Lord and then distributed to the scores of devotees waiting to taste it.
The administration has put in place elaborate security arrangements to manage the large number of devotees flocking to this small town daily. Police and traffic personnel have been deployed to regulate pilgrim traffic.
Several temporary rest sheds have been erected, with provisions for drinking water, toilets, and washrooms in the vicinity of the temple. Temporary parking places have been developed for vehicles. The entire temple and its surroundings have been illuminated.
Everyday darshan continues in a queue system until late at night. Recitals of bhajans by noted singers are organized every evening by local cultural bodies.
UNI