Hectic preparation on for grand bath of the Trinity of Sri Jagannath temple on Snan Vedi

Puri, Jun 23 (UNI) The ceremonial Pahandi of Lord Jagannath, his elder Balabhadra and devi Subhadra will commence tonight and the trinity will be placed about on the Snan Vedi(Bathing altar) for the grand bath on Thursday. The ritual will be conducted without devotees amid Covid protocol
Sources said about one thousand servitors whose swab samples were tested for Covid-19, nine hundred of them found negative while report of the others are yet to come,District Collector Samarth Verma said
The servitors who tested covid negative would participate in the Pahandi procession and in the bathing ritual, Mr.Verma said. The Temple musicians would play cymbals, trumpet, drums, Ghantaa, mrudang leading the Pahandi procession.
After the deities were placed on the bathing altar the day’s nittee begins with Mangala arati, Mailum, Tadaplagi, Abakas, Surya Puja, Rosahoma and offering of Gopal bhog. All these nitees would be over by 10am today.
Thereafter priests at 7.30 AM would accord 108 pitcher aromatic water bath to the Trinity which would be completed by 9.30 AM. The deities then would be decked with new clothes.
This time the representative servitor of the Gajapati would perform Chherapahanra which would be completed by 10.30 AM.
Three sets of servitors would dress the deities in elephant attire popularly called “Hati Vesha”. It would take one hour from 11AM to 12PM to complete the vesha.
The Administration has decorated the Snan Vedi , a huge raised platform located Eastern side of the outer complex of the temple overlooking the Badadanda , with colorful flowers.
The Vesha would be unmade by 5 PM and deities would be taken into Anasarghar(room for sick) in the temple where the deities would recline to sick bed for a fortnight supposedly suffering from fever.
The temple Vaidya would treat them with herbal drugs and they would be put on dry food and fruit diet. Trinity would reappear a day prior to Rath Yatra called Nabajouban Darshan.
Official sources said 35 platoons of police personnel were deployed for the fete to prevent devotees storming into Badadanda to witness the Vesha.
All the roads connected with Badadanda have been sealed while prohibitory order under section 144 ashas been clamped around the Sri Jagannath temple from tonight till June 25 noon.