Puri: It is believed that the deities fall sick with fever and isolate for two weeks till Rath Yatra.
The holy trinity of Lords Jagannath, Balabhadra and Goddess Subhadra along with Lord Sudarshan have a lavish bath on Snana Purnima to beat the summer heat. Then they traditionally fall sick and also run a temperature.
This goes on for 15 days. The siblings are transferred to Anasara Ghara and become unavailable for a darshan. The Lords are then treated with herbs, flower and root extracts, etc just like human beings to cure the ailments.
The servitors follow the secret rituals and perform the duties with proper care to rejuvenate the Lords. As part of Gupta Niti (secret rituals), the servitors apply Phuluri Tela (sesame oil with flower and herb extracts) provided by Bada Odia Mutt. The Lords undergo the Panchakarma treatment to look fresh. First, the Lords are given medicines to lower the temperature of the body and then the other parts of the Sree Anga (sacred body) are treated.
During these days the deities stay away from the public view and there is a need for substitute images for the public and to whom daily rituals can be offered at the temple. So, during this time three Patta Chitra paintings of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Goddess Subhadra are worshipped in the temple. These Patta paintings are known as ‘Anasara Patti’ or ‘Anavasara Patti’. During Anasara period the door of Patitapabana, the representative image of Lord Jagannath worshipped at the right side of Simha Dwara (main entrance of the temple), is also closed. Besides the three main Patta paintings, another small Anasara Pati is also prepared for Patitapabana and placed in front of the door for public view.
The deities would recover from sickness a day before Rath Yatra on the occasion of Naba Jaubana Darshan to appear before devotees.
