A sevayat offers bhog to the trinity before they leave for their abode. Picture by Sarat Patra

Bhubaneswar, July 14: The trinity of Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra and Goddess Subhadra finally entered the sanctum sanctorum of the 12th century Jagannath temple in Puri on Thursday evening. There was a rush of devotees to get a glimpse of the deities in the temple.

After the suna besha ceremony conducted on Tuesday, the divine siblings, who were still placed on their chariots, were offered special drinks during the Adhara Pana neeti held on Wednesday evening.

“Since the Lords are tired with the journey and they need to replenish, a traditional drink, the Adhara Pana, is offered on the day following suna besha. This drink is made of a mixture of milk cream, cheese, sugar, banana, camphor, nuts, blackpepper and other ingredients,” said Surya Narayan Rathasharma, expert of Jagannath culture.

After this ritual, the deities were all set to return to the sanctum on Thursday. The pahandi or the ritual of escorting of the deities into the sanctum began in the evening when Lord Balabhadra was first carried into the temple, following Goddess Subhadra. However, the pahandi of Lord Jagannath was delayed, when his wife, Goddess Laxmi, quarrelled with Him for having left her behind during the vacation and shut the main entrance of the temple.

“As per ritual, an irate Goddess Laxmi fights with her husband for leaving her alone in the Jagannath temple during rath yatra. Earlier, there used to be a heated argument between Devadasis who represented Laxmi and the priests representing Jagannath, when both sides would sing couplets written specially for the quarrel. However, with the tradition of Devadasis removed, the rituals are done by the sevayats,” said Rathasharma. While even this year the quarrel continued for a long time, like that of any other couple, finally Lord Jagannath surrendered and late in the evening, rasogolla sweets were sent by Him for the Goddess to calm her down. This ritual is known as the Maana Bhanga.

Devotees present at the event were ecstatic to hear the deities’ arguments.“Lord Jagannath always proves that there is no difference between Him and us. He fought with her wife like any mortal couple and even surrendered to Her, despite being the Lord of the Universe for us,” said Paramita Swain, a devotee.

From tomorrow onwards, the deities will be worshipped in the sanctum and the usual rituals will carry on, said the sevayats.