Bhubaneswar, Nov. 4: Thousands of devotees assembled at the Sakhi Gopinath temple at Sakhigopal on Friday on the occasion of Anla Nabami.

The temple, situated 19km from Puri, usually attracts devotees who wish to get a glimpse of Lord Krishna. But it was the rare occasion of getting a chance to view Goddess Radha’s feet that pulled the crowd today.

Anla Nabami is observed on the ninth day of the waxing phase of moon in the Kartik month. It is believed that viewing Radha’s feet and worshipping the amla tree on this day brings great fortune to devotees. This is the only day in the year when the feet of the goddess can be viewed.

“Goddess Radha is decorated with saris and embellishments throughout the year. But her feet are always kept covered. Only on the auspicious day of Anla Nabami, devotees get a chance to view the feet and hence the ritual is known as Radha pada darsha. The goddess is decorated in traditional Oriya costume on this occasion,” said the chief priest of the Sakhigopal temple.

According to the Kartik Purana, Lord Vishnu’s ardent devotee Brundabati was transformed into three plants that are considered immensely sacred. “These are the malati, tulasi and amla. Hence, amla is worshipped throughout the religious Kartik month,” said Jagannath culture expert Surya Narayan Rathasharma. “On Anla Nabami particularly, the amla plant becomes the seat of Jagat Dhatri or mother Earth. Hence, those who observe Kartik month rituals worship the plant in special ways,” he added.

The devotees who visited the Sakhigopal temple on Friday braved a queue that was a couple of kilometres long to get the darshan. The devotees were seen worshipping the amla tree in the temple premise by rotating around it and decorating it with sarees, bangles and vermilion.

“It is heavily crowded here on the occasion of Anla Nabami. But I make it a point to visit the temple every year to seek blessings of the deities. I’m fortunate to have again got the chance this year,” said Subhashree Parida, a devotee.

“I could not observe the Kartik rituals this year. But it is believed that worshipping the amla plant and seeking blessings from Goddess Jagat Dhatri brings great fortune. Hence, I offered red bangles and vermilion to the plant,” said Arpita Nayak, another visitor.