Bhubaneswar, June 28 (IANS) The holy coastal town of Puri is all set for the annual Snana Yatra (Bathing Festival) of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra on Monday, with the district administration and police making elaborate security and crowd-management arrangements for the smooth conduct of the festival at the 12th-century Jagannath Temple.

Notably, this sacred ritual, also known as Deva Snana Purnima and the birthday celebration of the deities, is observed on the full moon day of the Jyestha month of the Hindu almanac (May-June) and is considered one of the major festivals of the Jagannath Temple.

The holy triad will be brought to the Snana Vedi Mandap (bathing platform) from their sanctum sanctorum in a ritual known as Pahandi Bije and placed on the Snana Vedi, where the servitors will pour 108 pitchers of water mixed with sandalwood paste, camphor and other incense substances over the deities. The siblings will later be adorned with elephant masks in a ritual known as the ‘Gajanana Besha’.

At night, the deities will be taken to the Anasara Gruha (isolation chamber) inside the temple, where they will remain for 15 days until the Ratha Yatra.

As per the schedule released by the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA), the holy triad will be brought out of the sanctum sanctorum between 5 a.m. and 7 a.m. on Monday, while the bathing ritual is scheduled to be completed between 12 noon and 2 p.m.

The Puri district administration, police, health and fire services departments have made extensive arrangements for the smooth and peaceful conduct of the Snana Yatra festival, as lakhs of devotees from various parts of the state and the country are expected to gather in Puri to witness the divine spectacle.

Around 80 platoons of police personnel will be deployed inside and around the Jagannath Temple and at other strategic locations in Puri to manage traffic and crowd movement, ensuring hassle-free darshan for devotees during the Snana Yatra on Monday.

According to Odisha Police sources, the deployment includes four Commandants/SP-rank officers, 14 Additional SPs/Deputy Commandants, 31 DSPs/Assistant Commandants, 83 Inspectors/Sub-Inspectors, 340 SIs/ASIs and 79 platoons of police personnel, supported by specialised units.

The sources added that advanced security measures, including Quick Action Teams (QATs), sniffer dog squads, rooftop surveillance, Integrated Command and Control Centre (ICCC) monitoring, anti-sabotage checks and marine security arrangements, have also been put in place.

Help desks, Police Control Rooms (PCRs), medical assistance centres and dedicated support facilities for senior citizens, women, children and Divyang devotees will remain operational throughout the festival.

–IANS

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