The sacred Adharapana ritual of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra is being solemnly observed on their respective chariots at Puri in Odisha this evening, drawing thousands of devotees. During this unique post-Rath Yatra ceremony, the Holy Trinity is offered a specially prepared sweet beverage in large earthen pitchers.
At the culmination of the ritual, the pitchers are ceremonially broken as an offering to the innumerable invisible guardian deities believed to have accompanied the divine siblings during their annual journey. The ritual symbolises their ceremonial farewell before the deities return to the sanctum of the Shree Jagannath Temple.
The sacred Niladri Bije ritual, marking the return of the deities to the Ratna Singhasan inside the 12th-century shrine, will be observed tomorrow, bringing the annual Rath Yatra festivities to a spiritual conclusion amid devotion and religious fervour.
