A priest makes an offering of rasagollas to deities in front the chariots in Puri on Thursday. Picture by Sarat Patra

Bhubaneswar, July 10: The sanctum sanctorum of the 12th century Jagannath temple in Puri welcomed home the divine siblings — Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Goddess Subhadra — this evening.

A huge rush of devotees was seen at the temple to receive the deities back to their abode and witness how Lord Jagannath appeased His wife with rasagollas.

The deities returned from their vacation at Gundicha temple on Monday following which the suna besha ritual was conducted on Tuesday. On Wednesday evening, the adhara pana ritual was conducted when the siblings were offered special drinks. Today, the niladri bije of the deities was held at the temple.

Today, the daily rituals of prayers and food offerings were concluded on the chariot throughout the day. In the evening, the pahandi of the deities was conducted. Lord Balbhadra and Goddess Subhadra were the first to go inside the temple. This was followed by a bit of divine drama.

“Lord Jagannath was brought to the wooden ramp of the Nandighosh chariot to be carried to the temple. Here the deity halted midway when the decorative crown tahia was adorned on him. The representative idol of Goddess Lakshmi was brought to the chahani mandap inside the temple from where the divine couple are believed to have noticed each other for a few moments,” said servitor Rama Chandra Das Mohapatra.

As soon as the deity stepped inside, the Goddess was brought to the opposite entrance. The servitors of both the deities then sang a few interesting lines to represent a quarrel between the couple.

“Goddess Lakshmi is annoyed since her husband did not take her along for the vacation,” said Jagannath culture expert Suryanarayan Rathasharma.

Finally, the Lord surrendered before the Goddess and late in the evening, He pacified Her by sending rasagollas to calm Her down. This ritual is known as the maana bhanga. The devotees, who came in a large number, at the temple, were in awe watching the episode.

“This is such a beautiful incident. Even the divine couple have endorsed quarrels between wife and husband. It just makes the Jagannath culture so much like real life,” said Ankita Vohra, a devotee from Delhi. From tomorrow onwards, the deities will be worshipped in the sanctum and the usual rituals will carry on, said a sevayat.