Puri: Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra and devi Subhadra entered the sanctum sanctorum, thus ending 11 days of outing since Rath Yatra in Puri. ‘Niladri Bije’ marked the return of the three deities to their real abode.
Niladri Bije also marked the end of the annual sojourn of the deities.
Braving the incessant rain, thousands of devotees thronged the temple town to witness the deities being escorted to the temple in pahandi procession. Unlike the Rath Yatra, the rituals on Saturday started late. But it did not deter the spirit of the pilgrims, who waited till late night to watch the Niladri Bije of the presiding sibling deities of Jagannath temple.
The day also saw Lord Jagannath offering Rasogolla to His consort Goddess Mahalaxmi before entering the sanctum sanctorum on Niladri Bije.
It is an age old tradition as the Goddess was angry on Jagannath for not taking her when the sibling deities went on nine-day sojourn to Gundicha temple. So she resisted when the Lord was entering the shrine on Niladri Bije. Then Lord Jagannath tried to please Goddess Mahalaxmi by offering Her Rasogolla.
The heated exchange between Lord Jagannath and Goddess Mahalaxmi near the shrine entrance was enacted by some servitors of the temple.
After the return of the deities to the 12th century shrine, cooking of the Mahaprasad is likely to resume on Sunday.
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