Followers of Lord Krishna and Chaitanya Mahaprabhu march towards the Radhakanta mutt in Puri during Raghaba Jhali Yatra in Puri. Picture by Sarat Patra

Bhubaneswar, July 1: Around 4,000 followers of Lord Krishna and saint Chaitanya Mahaprabhu will sweep the Gundicha temple in Puri — the destination of the rath yatra procession — on Saturday, a day before the rath yatra.

The chariots of Lord Jagannath and his two siblings, Balabhadra and Subhadra, are rested at this temple for nine days before being pulled back again to the main temple.

Better known as Gaudiya Vaishnavas, these followers arrived in Puri yesterday from Nabadwip, the hometown of Chaitanya in Bengal. They came with food supplies such as rice, dal, oil, salt and other things for their revered saint. Through kirtan, they offered the food items to his statue at the Radhakanta Mutt.

“It is said that Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s mother, Sachi Devi, used to send food for him every year through his favourite disciple, Raghab. This tradition, known as Raghab jhali samarpana, has, thus, been continuing since years,” said Krushna Gopal Dash, chief of Radhakanta Mutt in Puri.

Chaitanya Mahaparabhu, considered an incarnation of Lord Krishna, travelled far and wide, before finally settling down in Puri.

“He spent nearly 24 years in Puri. Out of that, he did not travel out of the town for a continuous period of 18 years,” said Dash.

Legend has it that he got down on his hands and knees to scrub the Gundicha temple where Lord Jagannatha would stay at the end of the rath yatra. And his followers have been performing the same ritual on the eve of rath yatra every year.

Interestingly, his biography, Chaitanya Charitamrita, includes several anecdotes on the car festival.

Yesterday, there was an integration programme by Oriya and Bengali devotees. Pilgrims from Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and other South Indian states have already arrived in Puri in large numbers.

At present, final touches are being given to the preparations and security has been beefed up.

Bhubaneswar, July 1: Around 4000 followers of Lord Krishna and saint Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, would sweep the Gundicha temple in Puri – the destination of the rath yatra procession – on Saturday, a day before the famous rath yatra. The chariots of Lord Jagannath and his two siblings, Balabhadra and Subhadra, are rested at this temple for nine days before being pulled back again to the main temple.

Better known as Gaudiya Vaishnavas, these followers arrived in Puri yesterday from Nabadwip, the hometown of Chaitanya in Bengal. They came with food supplies such as rice, dal, oil, salt and other things for their revered saint. Through kirtan, they offered the food items to his statue at the Radhakanta Mutt.

“It is said that Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s mother, Sachi Devi, used to send food for him every year through his favourite disciple, Raghab. This tradition, known as Raghab jhali samarpana, has, thus, been continuing since years,” said Krushna Gopal Dash, chief of Radhakanta Mutt in Puri.

Chaitanya Mahaparabhu, considered an incarnation of Lord Krishna, travelled far and wide, before finally settling down in Puri. “He spent nearly 24 years in Puri. Out of that, he did not travel out of the town for a continuous period of 18 years,” said Dash.

Legend has it that he got down on his hands and knees to scrub the Gundicha temple where Lord Jagannatha would stay at the end of the rath yatra. And his followers have been doing the same on the eve of rath yatra every year.

Interestingly, his biography, Chaitanya Charitamrita, includes several anecdotes on the car festival.

Yesterday, there was an integration programme among Oriya and Bengali devotees. Pilgrims from Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and other South Indian states have already arrived in Puri in large numbers.

At present, final touches are being given to the preparations and security has been beefed up.