As the sun dipped low over the grand avenues of Puri, the three majestic chariots of the Holy Trinity stood bathed in evening light, drawing thousands of devotees for one of the most unique and deeply symbolic rituals of the Rath Yatra — the Adharapana Niti.
On Sunday evening, after the Madhyahna Dhupa, the traditional Adharapana offering was performed atop the chariots stationed near Singhadwara. The ritual, held between 9:15 pm and 9:40 pm, saw special sweetened pana (a cooling herbal drink) offered to the lips of the deities, followed by the ceremonial breaking of the large earthen pots right on the chariots.
The sequence began with Lord Balabhadra, followed by Mahaprabhu Jagannath, and concluded with Devi Subhadra. Temple sources confirmed that the pana was prepared by Suara sevayats using water drawn from the sacred well of Chauni Math. The mixture included chhena, banana, milk, black pepper, cream, camphor, nutmeg powder and other traditional ingredients, carefully blended to create the distinctive offering.
Pujapanda sevayats first offered the pana to the deities. Afterwards, the large clay pots — reaching up to the deities’ lips — were smashed on the chariots. This act holds profound spiritual meaning. The broken pots and the remaining pana are believed to satisfy the side deities (Parshwa Devatas), Chandi-Chamunda, and the disembodied souls associated with the chariots, bringing them peace and contentment.
Earlier in the day, the prescribed daily nitis unfolded in order: Mangala Alati (8:35–8:50 am), Mailam, Tadapalagi, Abakasha, Besha, and Madhyahna Dhupa (3:30–4:05 pm). With the Adharapana completed strictly according to the temple’s niti-nirghanta, the stage is now set for the final act of this year’s Rath Yatra.
On Monday, the deities will perform Niladri Bije — their ceremonial return to the Ratna Singhasana inside the Sri Mandir — marking the official conclusion of the 2026 Ghosa Yatra.
Security arrangements were tightened around the chariots as large crowds of devotees gathered to witness the rare evening ritual, ensuring the ancient tradition unfolded in an atmosphere of devotion and order.
The Adharapana remains one of the most distinctive features of the Puri Rath Yatra, a moment when the divine and the earthly, the living and the ethereal, are believed to share the same sacred offering under the open sky.
