Puri: Puri Gajapati Dibyasingha Deb skipped the ‘Chhera Panhara’ rituals during Deba Snana Purnima festival of Lord Jagannath, his sibling deities and Chakraraj Sudarshan today.
In the absence of Puri Gajapati Maharaj Dibyasingha Deb, Mudirastha (representative of the king) conducted Chhera Panhara, the ceremonial sweeping of the Snana Mandap after the deities were given the ceremonial bath.
This is the third time the Puri King skipped the rituals of the Holy Trinity. He had to skip the ritual for the first time in 1976 as he was pursuing his Master of Laws (LLM) in America.
It is to be noted that last year also the Mudirasta had performed Chhera Panhara during Snana Purnima as the Gajapati could not be available for the service.
Clarifying his absence from Snana Purnima, Puri Gajapati Dibyasingha Deb said that he decided to stay at home in compliance with the government’s guidelines amid the ongoing Covid crisis.
Owing to the COVID pandemic, the district administration imposed prohibitory orders under section 144 of CrPC for the smooth conduct of the divine bathing rituals of Lord Jagannath and his siblings, which is scheduled to be performed on June 24.
