July 19th 2024.
On Friday night, the presiding deities of Sri Jagannath temple - Lord Jagannath, his elder brother Lord Balabhadra, and sister Devi Subhadra - were welcomed back into the sanctum sanctorum of the temple after their chariot ride, known as Goti Pahandi, conducted by Daita servitors. This homecoming event, popularly known as Niladri Bije, was delayed by about five hours and continued until midnight. Originally scheduled for 4 PM, the Pahandi officially began at 8:30 PM.
According to temple sources, the three deities will enter the sanctum sanctorum of the main temple by midnight. This marks the end of their nine-day stay at Gundicha mandir and their return journey, known as Bahuda Yatra, which took place on July 15. They arrived back at the Sri Jagannath temple's main gate in the late evening and stayed on their respective chariots in front of Simhadwar for the important rituals of Suna Vesha and Adharpana the next day.
The deities were then escorted into the sanctum sanctorum of the Sri Mandir in Pahandi after being offered Rassogolla bhog (a type of sweet). In the morning, the priests performed the daily rituals of Mangala Arati, Abakash, Tadaplagi, Mailum, Rosahoma, Surya Puja, and offered Gopal Bhog at around 9:50 AM. The Sandhya Dhupa was offered at 4:25 PM, and preparations for Pahandi began with the placement of ladders on the chariots and Ratnasimhasan in the Garbhagriha of the temple.
At around 7 PM, the Daita servitors led the Pahandi procession with traditional temple musicians playing cymbals, trumpets, ghantas, drums, mridanga, flute, and bugles. Gotipua and Odissi dancers also joined the procession, which was witnessed by thousands of devotees. As a security measure, a two-layer cordon was placed around the deities to prevent any unauthorized person from touching them.
During the Pahandi, a traditional play was enacted between the servitors of Lord Jagannath and his consort, Mahalaxmi. As per Mahalaxmi's orders, the temple gate was closed to prevent Lord Jagannath from entering the temple since he did not take her along on his nine-day trip to Sri Gundicha temple. While Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra were allowed inside, the door was closed for Lord Jagannath. In order to pacify Mahalaxmi's anger, Lord Jagannath offered Rasagolas to her, and after much persuasion, the temple gate was opened for him.
Following the example set by Lord Jagannath and Mahalaxmi, hundreds of devotees offered Rasagola bhog to the deities on the chariots before the Pahandi and distributed it among the present devotees. This is the only time when Rasagola is offered to the deities. The daily rituals will resume, starting with Mahasnan, followed by a fresh set of rituals, including Badasinghar and Pahuda, which will be observed tonight. On July 20, devotees will receive Mahaprasad, also known as "Nilachal abhada."
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