Devotees at Saradabali in Puri. Picture by Sarat Patra

Bhubaneswar, Feb. 6: Devotees of Lord Jagannath have congregated from far and wide at Gundicha Temple in Puri for a grand cultural and spiritual convention.

The 10-day convention, the Jagannath Chetana Mahadhiveshana, is an assembly of scholars, who are giving talks on various forms of art and culture related to Lord Jagannath while the evenings are reserved for cultural performances.

Inaugurated on Tuesday, the convention brings out unique concepts related to Jagannath. During the daily discussions and talks, experts are to comprehend various colours of the deity and His siblings and also the multiple rituals and their significance.

“In many scriptures, Lord Jagannath’s form is transformed as a representation of the universe itself using symbolism and colour codes in the fascinating and unusual form of the deity. We would also discuss the changes of concepts from the Vedic through Tantric periods of Indian religious history. For the same, we have invited scholars from Jagannath Culture University and also various eminent researchers on the subjects of religion and mythology,” said Pandit Surya Narayan Ratha Sharma, a well-known orator on Jagannath culture from Puri and the organiser of the event.

Some highlights of the event include ornamentation of the idols of Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra in various adornments of flowers, attires and jewels, also known as bastra sringar, bhushan sringar and pushpa sringar, respectively. “There will be overall 32 veshas or decorative appearances of the deities throughout the festival. A grand yagna in Vedic style continues every day,” said Ratha Sharma.

The ancient ritual of creating colourful patterns of geometric designs or yantras before establishing the deity for worship by chanting hymns is also a major attraction at the festival. The significance of various patterns and drawings as well as the use of colours will be explained to devotees while exhibiting various forms of the yantras within the compound of the festival.

Every evening, dance performances and devotional music are presented at the function. Rupashree Mohapatra staged a Mahari sequence on the opening day and will again perform on the penultimate day of the event. The performances of Odissi dancers such as Babita Das, Jyoti Rout and many others are also included every day. Singers such as Arabinda Muduli, Bijay Mohapatra and various other artistes are also a part of the cultural ceremonies. Plays based on legends of the Jagannath temple are also being staged at the programme that will conclude on February 13.