Blood Stain Inside Puri Jagannath Temple, Deities Undergo ‘Maha Snan’ Ritual

Puri: The regular daily rituals of the deities at the Sri Jagannath temple in Puri were delayed because of the Maha Snana or the grand purification bath of the deities. This ritual was taken up because blood stains were found near the Bhitara Katha inside the temple on Tuesday.

According to sources, some servitors of the temple found blood oozing out of a finger of a woman near Bhitara Katha. As the blood fell on the floor, the regular rituals of the deities were stopped and the Maha Snana ritual was performed as per the tradition. It is suspected that the woman may have ijured her finger while entering the temple.

According to the priests of the temple, during the Maha Snana rituals, the idols are not consecrated with water. The ritual is performed by pouring water on mirrors placed in front of the idols. After Maha Snana, the whole temple is cleaned up ina ritual named ‘Sodha.’

Maha Snana ritual is performed in case someone urinates or vomits inside the temple, if blood stains found, if an someone including an animal dies inside, dog is seen inside the temple premises or if a skull or skeleton is found inside the Srimandir.