The sacred ritual of ‘Adapa Mandapa Bije’ was performed with spiritual fervour on Sunday, as the sibling deities—Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra, and Goddess Subhadra—were ceremonially escorted into the Gundicha Temple in Puri during the Rath Yatra 2025.
The ritual marks a key moment in the deities’ nine-day sojourn away from the Srimandir, drawing thousands of devotees seeking divine darshan believed to absolve sins of a hundred lifetimes.
As part of the tradition, after the ‘Sandhya Dhupa’ ritual, the Charamalas (sacred ropes) were fixed to the chariots, and the Holy Trinity, accompanied by Lord Sudarshan, were moved to their ‘Janmabedi’ (mythical birthplace) inside Gundicha Temple through the ‘Goti Pahandi’ procession. Lord Madana Mohan and Ramakrushna also joined them inside the temple’s Adapa Mandapa, which serves as the ceremonial sanctum during their stay.
The Adapa Mandapa Bije, also known as Gundicha Yatra, involves replicating all rituals of the Srimandir within the Gundicha Temple for a week. During this period, devotees are offered the revered ‘Adapa Abhada’, a special form of Mahaprasad.
The event, however, was overshadowed by a tragic stampede near the Gundicha Temple earlier in the day, which reportedly claimed three lives and left several devotees injured. Expressing deep sorrow, Puri Gajapati Maharaja Dibyasingha Deb extended condolences to the bereaved families, calling the incident “extremely unfortunate and heart-wrenching.” He urged the Odisha government to take preventive measures to avoid such mishaps in the future.
Amidst the tragedy, special emphasis was placed on ensuring a smooth and safe darshan experience for devotees. The Garbha Gruha (sanctum) of Gundicha Temple has been air-conditioned, and administrative attention has been drawn towards ritual schedules, crowd management, and infrastructure upkeep.
As the faithful continue their pilgrimage, the spiritual significance of Adapa Mandapa Bije remains undiminished, even as the event becomes a solemn reminder of the importance of effective public safety during massive religious congregations.
