Puri: Lakhs of devotees Sunday thronged to Bada Danda to witness the ‘Adhara Pana’ ritual, celebrated two days after ‘Bahuda Yatra’ and one day after ‘Suna Besha’.
A special sweet drink is offered to the deities of their respective chariots from nine cylindrical earthen pots reaching up to the lips of the deities, therefore earning the ritual the name of ‘Adhara Pana’.
According to researcher Naresh Chandra Dash, earlier the sweet drink used to be offered to the deities from 12 pots- three on Bahuda Dashami, three on Ekadashi, three on Dwadashi, two for Ram and Krushna on Lord Balabhadra’s chariot and one pot for Madan Mohan on Lord Jagannath’s chariot.
Nowadays, the drink is being offered from nine pots on a single day. The Raghab Das Mutt, Badaodia Mutt and the temple administration each supply three pots and all the food articles that go into pana preparation.
After completion of ‘Madhhyahna Dhup’, the process for ‘Adhara Pana’ ritual begins. Cheese, milk, sugar, banana, camphor, nuts, black pepper and extracts from holy basil are kept on each chariot. Then three earthen pots reaching up to their lips are kept before each of the deities. The pots are of different sizes.
Mahasuara servitors prepare the pana by mixing the ingredients with the holy water collected from the well in front of Chhauni Mutt near Lions’ Gate.
Patribadu, Suarabadu and Garabadu servitors perform some pujas on three chariots. A Bhog is then offered to the deities by ‘Palia Pujapanda’ servitors. After the ‘bhog’ is offered, the pots are broken before the deities and the pana is spilled away on the chariots.
Legend has it that the spilled away pana is for the junior deities placed on the chariots, several evil spirits and dissatisfied souls. It is believed that these evil spirits are satiated once they consume the Pana. This is an age old tradition.
This is the reason why people do not drink this sweet drink, observed Dash.
PNN