Mahaprasad of Lord Jagannath being carried out from the Gundicha temple after puja and (below) pots filled with offerings for distribution among devotees in Puri. Pictures by Sarat Patra

Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra and Goddess Subhadra are enjoying their vacation at the Gundicha temple, making it the most sought after pilgrim destination in the city.

The trio is at present meeting their devotees from the adapa mandap, the altar inside the temple, where they will be seated for the next six days until bahuda yatra.

Going by an ancient belief that getting a glimpse of the deities on this altar washes off sins and brings prosperity to the onlooker, lakh rushed to the adapa mandap today to offer prayers.

“Adapa mandap is also known as the yagna bedi or the stage where the idols were constructed first. Hence, it is considered to be extremely sacred. Getting a darshan of Lord Jagannath and his siblings here is a matter of great fortune,” said Srirupa Parida, a devotee.

While for the rest of the year, it is the Jagannath temple that gets all the attention, during the nine-day rath yatra festivities the spotlight falls on the Gundicha temple.

Devotees also feel that eating of the consecrated food or prasad prepared and offered to the deities here will bring prosperity.

“Throughout the year the dishes available at the Anand Bazaar of the Jagannath temple are in demand. But during this period, devotees wait with bated breath to get a chance to savour the delicacies prepared here for the deities,” said one of the servitors from the cooking team at the Gundicha temple.

The prepared dishes here are similar to the ones offered at the permanent abode of Lord Jagannath. The main item is the anna or rice along with aromatic preparations of dal, various types of mixed vegetable dishes, khatta, khiri and so on. Devotees waited patiently till 4.30pm today for lunch at the temple when the prasad distributed.

“After coming this far in the rush and watching the deities on the adapa mandap, it is a must to taste the prasad. Hence, my family members waited here till it was available in the temple market for devotees much beyond 4pm,” said Karunanidhi Patnaik, a visitor.

All the rituals of the deities were performed on the altar at the Gundicha temple today.