Puri: Thousands of devotees from across the state and outside visited Srimandir to witness the Nabajouban Darshan ritual of Lord Jagannath and His siblings Tuesday.
The devotees got an opportunity to have a glimpse of the deities after the completion of Anasara ritual.
As per Srimandir tradition, Lord Jagannath and his siblings suffer from fever immediately after the Snana Purnima (grand bathing) ritual. The deities confine themselves to the Anasara Gruha (asylum for the sick) for 14 days for medication. During the Anasara ritual, devotees are forbidden to visit the deities.
The devotees are allowed to visit the deities after their recovery from fever on the occasion of Nabajouban Darshan.
According to Srimandir sources, the devotees were allowed to pay obeisance to the deities in the afternoon after the completion of routine rituals like Mangal Alati and Abakash. The Parimanik (paid) darshan began at 2.45 pm and continued till 3.45 pm. Devotees having Parimanik tickets enter the shrine through the South Gate and paid obeisance to the deities from Bhitarakatha (inner barricade).
The Sahanamela (free) darshan of the deities started at 3.45 pm and continued till 5 pm.
“We could not pay obeisance to the deities for 14 days for Anasara ritual. Today, we visited the shrine and had a glimpse of Lord Jagannath on the occasion of Nabajouban Darshan,” said Shesadev Biswal, a devotee from Bhandaripokhari area of Bhadrak.
Sagarika Mohanty, a devotee from Cuttack, expressed her happiness by offering prayers to the deities. “There was severe rush at Srimandir. Somehow, we managed to have darshan of the deities,” she said.
Meanwhile, Rajalaxmi Panda, a devotee from Jajpur, alleged that a policeman assaulted her near the Bhitarakatha on the shrine premises. Panda suffered injuries on her eyes and lodged a complaint in this regard with Singhadwar police.
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