Puri: The holy trinity – Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Goddess Subhadra, along with Lord Sudarshan had a lavish bath on Snana Purnima to beat the summer heat.
Subsequently, as per the traditions, they fall sick with a fever, for the next 15 days. The siblings are then transferred to Anasara Ghara and become unavailable for a darshan.
During this time, they are treated with herbs, flowers and root extracts etc., just like human beings to cure the ailment.
The servitors follow secret rituals and perform the duties with proper care to rejuvenate the Lords. After Snana Purnima in Jagannath temple, the devotees start thronging to Alarnath temple located in Brahmagiri of Puri district to have a glimpse of Lord Alarnath, who is believed to be the avatar of Lord Jagannath.
It is widely believed that the Holy Trinity manifests itself in the 13th-century Alarnath temple and the darshan of this shrine during Anasara of deities brings the same fortune and wellbeing.
The temple was established by the royal Alwar dynasty of Rajasthan and was named Alwarnath, which later became Alarnath with due course of time. It houses Lord Alarnath, the standing idol of four-armed Lord Vishnu, made of black chlorite.
It is believed that devotees have the blessings of Lord Jagannath after having the darshan of Alarnath. They also get ‘Mahaprasad’ like the one in Jagannath temple in Puri. This apart, Alarnath’s favourite ‘Pudding’ (Khiri Prasad) is also available at the Ananda Bazaar here.
Likewise, there is another mythological story that the creator of the universe, Lord Brahma had come down to earth to consecrate the Sri Jagannath temple at Puri. The place where Lord Brahma landed first on earth became known as Brahmagiri in the subsequent period.
