Bhubaneswar: Devotees at the Shree Jagannath Temple in Puri experienced a temporary halt in darshan on Sunday after temple servitors conducted an emergency ‘Bada Mahasnan’ ritual, following a child’s sudden illness inside the shrine.
The incident unfolded during the morning hours when the temple was teeming with devotees after the completion of the daily Abakash Puja. Amid the crowd near the Bhitarkatha area, a child, reportedly feeling suffocated, vomited, prompting servitors to take swift action to preserve the sanctity of the temple.
In accordance with ritualistic norms, the temple doors were immediately closed, and the premises were purified through the ‘Bada Mahasnan’—a ceremonial bathing and cleansing of the inner sanctum. The purification process lasted for around one and a half hours.
The disruption led to delays in subsequent rituals and caused long queues to form outside as devotees waited patiently for darshan to resume. Normal proceedings were restored once the purification was completed.
Temple authorities have reiterated the need to follow ritual practices in such scenarios and urged devotees to remain patient during unforeseen interruptions.
