Puri: The Nilachal Abadha will be available for devotees from today after Lord Jagannath and his siblings returned to Srimandir. The holy trinity returned to the divine abode in a special ritual called Niladri Bije on Tuesday.
The Bhog is called Nilachal Abadha which is the first offering of rice to the deities after their return.
The famous ‘Niladri Bije’ ritual of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra, and Devi Subhadra in Puri was held on Tuesday as the holy deities enter into Srimandir.
Before entering the main temple, a traditional act between the servitors of Lord Jagannath and Devi Lakshmi takes place at the main gate, known as Jaya Vijaya Door, of the temple.
It is popularly believed that Devi Lakshmi, wife of Lord Jagannath, gets angry as she was left in the Srimandir and was not a part of the Rath Yatra to the Gundicha temple. She only allows Lord Balabhadra, Goddess Subhadra, and Lord Sudarshana into the temple and closes the temple gate for Lord Jagannath.
Hence, in order to convince Devi Lakshmi, Lord Jagannath offers rasagolla (a sweet dish made of curd cheese) and requests her to forgive him.
Following this, Lord Jagannath is made to sit beside Devi Lakshmi where a ritual of reunion is rehearsed and finally Lord Jagannath ascends the Ratna Singhasana.
Lakhs and lakhs of devotees had thronged Puri Srimandir to witness the world-famous Rath Yatra after two years of break due to Covid restrictions.
Ms Kalinga